Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel
by YukiraKing
Summary: When Gohan defeated Cell, the Z fighters went out to celebrate. That's where he saw her. His Dark Haired angel. He couldn't meet her that night, but he will keep trying to find her until he does. Definitely a romance, with subtle hints of humour.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter One**_:

After a truly spectacular victory over Cell, the surviving Z fighters had brought the injured Gohan up to Kami's lookout, along with the body of Trunks. Bulma had already gathered the dragonballs, determined to do her share in returning the world to its former glory. But at the sight of her son's limp, mangled body, the words caught in her throat. She couldn't summon the dragon.

Gohan, having been healed by Dende opted to summon the eternal dragon, having never done so before. His shoulders were tense, as he prepared his wish. He needed to word this right. The people that Cell killed, and the places that the monster destroyed needed to be brought back to the way they had once been. The young hero was hoping that his father would be able to come back as well. He was saving that as his second wish. He knew his father had already been brought back to life once before. And there was only a small chance that the dragon would be able to bring him back, but he wanted it more than anything. His father had died in his place. It was his own fault. And now he needed to fix it.

"I call upon the mighty Shenron! Please grant my wishes," Gohan called loudly. His hands were outstretched over the seven magical balls.

They started flashing, just as the sky became dark. To those that had never witnessed the dragon before, it appeared to be a sudden storm. With one last flash, the dragon snaked its way out of the balls. It was enormous and seemed to go on for miles. The dragon continued to weave himself in the air, only stopping when his only connection to the seven mystical balls was the very tip of his tail. He pointed his mighty head down in Gohan's direction.

"I am Shenron. What is it that you wish?" The dragon's voice was deep and powerful. Gohan trembled slightly in his presence.

"I-I want t-to use my f-first wish to r-return the world t-to the way it w-was before Cell showed up," Gohan said. His voice was trembling, adding an unnatural stutter to his words.

"That what you've wished has been granted," the dragon said. There was a flash in his eye as he brought the earth back to normal. Gohan could feel it as the people Cell had killed were brought back. They were like little fireflies scattered across the dark sky. Their ki was faint, but he could still sense they were there. One being's ki stood out among the rest.

Trunks sat up, confused. It took him time to realize what had happened. Once he gathered his surroundings, he took his mother into his arms. She was crying. Though this time, they were tears of happiness, rather than sorrow. Trunks searched the small gathering of people until he met his father's eyes. Though Vegeta would never say it, he was glad that his son was back. He almost returned his son's smile, but caught himself just in time, returning his signature scowl to his face.

Gohan smiled, satisfied that the wish had worked as he'd planned. Of course, he knew his father hadn't been brought back with that wish. He would feel it if he did.

"What is your next wish?" the dragon asked impatiently. For being an almighty, eternal dragon, he wasn't very patient. Especially since he didn't get out all that often.

"Um...Mr. Shenron, s-sir...I was w-wondering if you c-could use my w-whole next wish to bring my f-father back?"

As soon as he got the words out, he knew he was being too hopeful. Shenron didn't even have to answer. He let his tears spill down his cheeks as he awaited the dragon's response.

"Goku has already been brought back once before," Shenron's voice boomed. "It is not within my power to bring him back again."

"Oh, Gohan," Bulma said, running up to hold the boy in her arms. He may be the hero who destroyed Cell, but he was still a child.

"I know," he mumbled. He sniffled, and wiped away his tears.

"Hey," Yamcha said enthusiastically. "Why don't we use the dragon balls from Namek to bring Goku back?"

There was a chorus of cheers across the lookout. That was a foolproof plan! With the Namekian dragon balls, it didn't matter how many times a person was brought back. Gohan smiled widely. He was going to get his dad back after all!

Or so he thought. A familiar voice called to them from above.

"Guys, I don't want you to bring me back."

"Father?" Gohan said shocked. How was he hearing his voice? His father was dead. "Father where are you? I can't see you."

"I'm in other world. King Kai is letting me talk to you. I'm proud of you Gohan. You did what I could not. You are a true hero," Goku's voice rang all around them.

"But I let you down!" Gohan protested. "It's all my fault!"

"No it's not. And I'm not coming back. I want to give earth a time of peace. It seems that all of the evil beings that attack earth are after me. If I'm not there, maybe earth will finally see peace. So I'm going to stay dead, okay?"

"But dad!" Gohan cried. Krillen came and put his hand on Gohan's shoulder.

"I don't like it," Krillen said loudly to Goku. "But I understand what you're getting at."

"I'll miss you," Gohan whispered to his father.

"And I'll miss you, son," Goku said. "Bye guys! I'll see you in otherworld!"

"Hopefully not to soon," Krillen muttered. Despite Gohan's situation, he laughed at Krillen's joke. Soon everyone joined in. Everyone except the eternal dragon that is.

"You still have one last wish," the dragon said, growing even more impatient than before.

"B-but I don't have anything else to w-wish for," Gohan said, turning to his friends. "What about you guys?" His question was answered with a chorus of 'no's. "I g-guess we don't have anything else to wish for Mr. Dragon Sir."

"Wait," Krillen said. "If nobody minds I'd like to use the wish to get rid of the bombs embedded in androids 17 and 18."

"Why would you want to do that?" Trunks asked in disbelief.

"Are you blind boy?" Bulma asked with a sly smile on her face. "It's obvious that Krillen has a thing for this android 18."

"No I do not-okay I do, but that's not the reason," Krillen said, going red in the face. "I just want them to be able to continue on with their lives without worrying that they're going to explode at any minute."

"That sounds reasonable," Gohan agreed, and he turned to the dragon. "We wish for the bombs in a-androids number 18 and 17 to be removed."

"It's done. And now I will take my leave," Shenron said. He erupted into a bright light, before disappearing. The balls-now covered in a brilliant orange light-floated up into the sky. Once they were up, there was a final flash, before they were sent into distant places of the earth. They were once again normal rocks, waiting out the year until a time when they would be used again.

"Why would you do that for me?" The question was from an unmistakable source. Android number 18. Why she was there though, no one was sure.

"Why not? Everyone deserves a second chance," Krillen said, his face an even darker shade of red now that he knew she'd been listening. "Goku taught me that."

"Thank you," she said seriously. "I have done nothing to you to deserve this chance, but I won't waste it." She turned to leave, running to the edge of the lookout, and prepared to jump.

"Wait!" Bulma screamed. Android 18 turned around, curious. "Why don't you come and celebrate with us?" 18 smiled.

"Is the world ready to see its heroes celebrating with their enemy?" she asked.

"It happens all the time!" Gohan said laughing a little. "With Tien, and Mr. Piccolo, and Vegeta. I'm sure they can handle an android too."

"I don't know how long I will stay," she said still smiling. "But I will go with you."

Krillen was thrilled by this idea of course, but Trunks and his father were wary. Should they trust an android who only weeks ago was trying to kill them? Bulma set it straight for them. She walked up to the android and slung her arm around her shoulder, as though they'd been friends for years. Yes. They could trust her.

"So, where are we going?" Gohan asked, torn between being excited and sad. He didn't want to forget about his father's loss already, but he had beaten Cell. That was definitely worth celebrating.

"How about a restaurant?" Bulma suggested, already picking out the perfect place in her mind. It wasn't too far from West City. And it had everything that the Z fighters could want. Exceptionally good food, karaoke, and a dance floor for her to let loose all of her fear from the past few weeks.

* * *

In only minutes, the Z fighters managed to get everyone to the restaurant that Bulma was thinking about. Of course, there were many protests coming from a surely Saiyan prince and a pessimistic Namekian, but with a little sweet talk from Bulma, they were willing enough. Gohan was actually feeling excited. He didn't think he would-having just lost his father-but the setting was just right. The music was loud, but not uncomfortable with his half-Saiyan ears, and there were lots of people there. All of them were celebrating. No doubt for the same reason the Z fighters were.

"Hey, Bulma," Krillen asked-nearly yelling above the noise. "Do you really think you can get us a table?"

"Of course, Krillen," she said giving him a mischievous smile. "Do you not remember who I am? Heir to the Capsule Corporation, a.k.a. the wealthiest woman alive."

"Oh, okay," Krillen said. He only kept quiet for a few minutes though. Once they'd been seated, and they'd received their first drinks, he headed off for the karaoke line, wanting to get a chance in before too many drunkards wanted to sing all night. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was also trying to convince 18 that he was a fun guy...but he didn't know how well that would work out for him. She only saw fighting as fun. And though he did agree with that, he wanted to show her the different-less ferocious-ways to have fun on earth without trying to destroy everyone on the planet.

Gohan noticed that she turned her head a fraction towards the stage when he started singing. She even cracked a small smile before shaking her head.

The group was in the midst of sharing their training experiences of the past three years when the door burst open and a huge crowd of people came in roaring and cheering. Vegeta let out a growl, which caused the Z fighters to be on their toes. Could it be Cell? They were certain that Gohan had defeated him, but they'd thought Goku had gotten rid of him before that. You can never be too cautious.

They all relaxed when Vegeta narrowed his glare onto the big, burly man on the shoulders of two strong men. It was Hercule Satan. The man that was at the Cell Games with them. The 'Strongest Man' that the Earth had to offer. But he'd been weaker than even the weakest of the Z fighters. Not strong at all. Not even strong enough to take one punch from the monster. The Z fighters laughed at the memory of him flying into the cliff face when Cell swatted him away. It was as if he were a fly.

But why then, were these people carrying him around as if he were a hero?

"Make way for the Strongest Man Alive!" One of the crowd members hollered. Many people cleared out of their way. Many...but not the Z fighters. Since they didn't move, the crowd had to settle for second best for their hero.

"Show some respect fools!" Another crowd member hissed at them.

"I'll show you respect!" Vegeta growled at him fist at the ready. The man ran off at the sight of the fury evidently present in Vegeta's eyes. Bulma practically had to throw herself at him to get him to calm down. "I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and they have the nerve to tell me what to do," he muttered under his breath. Bulma was rubbing her arm soothingly across his shoulders, murmuring caring words to him until he'd calmed down enough.

Gohan decided that Hercule could claim the title if he wanted to. And it was obvious that he wanted to. He was basking in all of the attention and affection. Gohan wouldn't want to be the centre of attention. He just wanted to forget the whole battle had even taken place. But he knew he'd never be able to forget. Not with his father gone. He shook his head to clear it of the negative thoughts. Goku wanted him to be happy and safe. That's why he stayed in the other world. Gohan was not going to disrespect his wishes.

"Guys," he said, sounding surprisingly cheerful. "Just ignore him. He's not worth our time. Let's just enjoy living in a safe and peaceful world while it lasts. How about it?"

They were shocked by Gohan's words to say the least, but they decided that he was right. The warriors kept talking about strategies and techniques for another half hour. Bulma, having grown bored of all this fighting talk, headed over to get herself a drink from the bar. Having downed the glass, Bulma pushed her way onto the dance floor. She cut loose, and started having fun herself. Not as much fun as she would have had if Vegeta would get out of the booth and dance with her, but she was having fun none the less.

Gohan was only half paying attention to the battle talk. Usually he'd leave that to his dad, but they seemed genuinely interested in his opinions. So he'd been trapped there talking instead of dancing or having fun...

And then she stepped up to the stage.

"Hello everyone. You don't know me, but that's okay. I just wanted to dedicate this song to my daddy. I loved you before, but now I get to share that love with the whole world. All because you saved it today. Thank you daddy," she said before the music started.

Gohan didn't find anything particularly interesting about her speech. Sure, she was Hercule's daughter. So what? If anything, he felt sorry for her. Not only was Hercule deceiving the world, but he didn't seem to care that he was lying to his own family. He was about to point that out to the others when she opened her mouth to sing.

Gohan's mind went blank. All that filled his thoughts was her beautiful voice. She sang like an angel. He turns his head to face the stage fully, finally taking in the appearance of the girl he'd previously thought uninteresting. Now, she was anything but. Her long black hair was pulled into wavy pigtails, with her bangs wispy, falling just above her eyes. Her eyes were absolutely stunning. A shade of blue that put even Bulma's eyes to shame. She swayed rhythmically with the music, looking slightly uncomfortable in her frilly dress. No doubt her mother forced it on her before they came here. She had to look presentable for the world. Gohan decided that the pink lace didn't suit her at all. She seemed to be more casual and relaxed. Definitely not a princess like Bulma used to be.

When her eyes glanced his way, his breath caught in his throat. Her eyes only held his for a second, before they moved on. She was oblivious to the trance she'd but the poor boy in.

"Hey, Gohan, you okay?" Krillen asked. The Z fighters attention was pulled away from the salt and pepper shakers that Vegeta was using to demonstrate a particular battle he'd been a part of while under Frieza's command.

Gohan didn't dare speak. He didn't want to miss any of her song, so he simply nodded, forcing himself to breath. The majority of the Z fighters turned back to Vegeta's demonstration, but Krillen and Yamcha knew what was going on. They knew what was making Gohan dazed and distracted.

"She's cute isn't she?" Krillen said, nudging Gohan's arm.

Once again, Gohan could only nod.

"Looks like Gohan's worse than I was," Yamcha said laughing. "He's too scared to speak!"

Gohan turned his head slightly towards them, but kept his eyes on the girl singing. He put his finger to his lips, silently telling them to shut up. They complied, but only until the song ended thirty seconds later.

The girl made her way to the edge of the stage, and jumped into her father's arms, giving him a big hug. A dark haired woman enveloped the two in her arms, completing the family hug. Gohan was disappointed that the song was over, but excited about a chance at meeting her. He stood up, intent on going over and talking to her; he wasn't sure what he was going to talk about, but he wanted to get to know her. But before he could take his first step, Krillen grabbed his arm, pulling him back into his seat.

"What did you do that for?" Gohan complained, yanking his arm back from his father's best friend with little effort.

"We can't tease you if you walk away, now can we?" Krillen said laughing at Gohan's pouting face. "What's wrong Gohan?"

"Nothing," he muttered.

"He's just mad 'cause you wouldn't let him introduce himself to his girlfriend," Yamcha said smirking.

"I am not," Gohan countered.

"You're not mad," Yamcha said smiling. "But you _were_ going to introduce yourself to your girlfriend huh?"

"Yeah," Gohan admitted. But he realized his fault, and hastily added, "But she's not my girlfriend..."

"Yet?" Krillen asked slyly.

"Yet," he agreed, searching for her in the crowd. He spotted her next to two blonde children. One was male and the other female. What was odd was that the male had much longer hair than the girl. She was subtly beautiful, but not breathtaking like his mystery girl. The male looked weak, weaker than either of the girls. He lacked confidence, which both girls had in abundance. He seemed to be the odd one out, but it was almost as if he was the glue that held them together. But Gohan didn't like the way he looked at his mystery girl. It wasn't quite the same way that Gohan was looking at her, not nearly as intensely, but it was obvious that he cared. Gohan was suddenly documenting his competition.

"Do girls like the weak guys more than strong ones?" he asked no one in particular. He looked to Yamcha and Krillen, expecting them to give him an answer and was shocked when the answer came from behind him.

"It depends on the girl Gohan," Bulma said with a smile on her face. "I like the strong ones. I only settle for the best." This earned her a grunt of approval from Vegeta. Gohan could see he was incredibly proud to have Bulma as his mate and wife. Just as he was proud to call Trunks—either the baby or the teenager from the future—his son. He just didn't like to show weakness, so Gohan never bugged him about it.

"Darn," he muttered, trying to get a better view of the girl. The three kids were dancing like there was no tomorrow to the fast song. He smiled; she was having so much fun. A huge smile was on her face, and found himself memorizing the way it lit up her face. He wanted to be able to make her smile just like that.

Bulma noticed his distraction, and turned to see the three kids. She immediately figured he had a crush on one of them, guessing to herself that it was the blonde. The little blonde girl was really cute after all. "Oh," she said, "does our little hero have a crush on her?"

"Yep," Krillen said grinning like a fool. "But apparently she's worse than Cell, 'cause he won't even go over to talk to her."

"I would too! You just wouldn't let me, and now she's with her friends..."

"Come on boy," Vegeta said, no longer interested with his demonstration. "The little earthlings shouldn't scare you so much. They are weak."

"Well excuse me Mister Prince-of-all-Saiyans! I'm sorry humans are so weak, but do you really think that he shouldn't be afraid?" Bulma screamed at him. Vegeta winced, knowing that he'd be on the couch for a week if he didn't answer her correctly.

"What I was implying," he started, "was that they were merely earthling children, that are nowhere near as brilliantly intelligent or as strong," he continued. For good measure he added "or as beautiful as you are?"

"That's what I like to hear," Bulma smiled at him. He turned red in the face, blushing at her open display of affection. He was in front of the world's strongest warriors after all! He didn't need them to think he'd gone soft.

Vegeta merely grunted as a response, and hurriedly went back to his abandoned demonstration.

"Come on Gohan," Bulma said, as the song changed from the fast upbeat song to a slower tempo. "Come and dance with me!"

Gohan didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't pull away from her—well he could, but if he did he could hurt her, and then he'd have to face the wrath of Vegeta, who was bound to be tons more powerful when protecting his mate—so he just let her drag him onto the dance floor. He flew up enough that he could look at her face to face, knowing that Vegeta would rather have him looking there than her chest, which was unfortunately his normal view at eye level. As a bonus, being up that high allowed for him to look over her shoulder at his mystery girl. As he expected, she was dancing with her two friends in an awkward—but fun—way, where they were each holding hands and swaying in a sort of circle.

Gohan focused his senses on the girl. Reaching out with his half-Saiyan hearing—which is infinitely more acute than a mere human's—he tried to catch their conversation.

"Isn't it great that that monster is destroyed?" the blonde girl asked in a bubbly voice.

"Yeah it definitely is," the dark haired angel agreed.

"But what makes it way cooler is that your dad actually killed him off, not those mysterious fighters from the TV. According to your dad, they actually fled the scene when Cell when to attack," the male was saying excitedly.

So not only was Hercule taking credit that wasn't his, he was lying about the capabilities of the Z fighters? Gohan hoped that this news wouldn't reach Vegeta's ears. He didn't want to know what the Saiyan Prince would do when he heard that Hercule was belittling his honour.

"Yeah," the girl said, not seeming excited at all. "You know, I'm a little thirsty, I think I'll go grab a glass of water." She dropped their hands, and took two steps away. In the time it took for her to take those two steps, Gohan was formulating a plan. He would casually walk passed her while she was getting her drink, and compliment her on her singing. But he wouldn't say anything about her dad. It wasn't right for him to do that. Besides, he got a feeling that she wasn't really happy with that subject.

But just as he was about to tell Bulma that he needed a break, the little blonde girl grabbed his dark haired angel's shoulder. "I'll get it for you. This is you and your family's big night. You just keep dancing." She cast a sly glance at the boy.

_So this was her plan all along? _Gohan thought to himself. His heart was sinking fast. _The two blondes are working to get my dark haired angel to favour him? Why him! I beat Cell. I let her father pretend he did. I want to be the one that makes her smile, not him. Not HIM!_

As his jealous thoughts warred in his mind, his dark eyes flashed blue-green for a second. But Bulma's gasp was enough to bring him out of his rage. "Sorry Bulma," he murmured, watching as his dark haired angel let the blonde boy put his arms around her waist, and placed her own hands on his shoulders.

* * *

"What up with Gohan? His ki just spiked, and now he looks depressed. But only a minute ago he seemed happy," Krillen said to the warriors. Piccolo opened his eyes from his mediating state.

"Gohan's been _very_ taken by that girl. Frighteningly so. His mood follows her actions. She was heading off alone, so he got excited, happy that he had a chance to meet her. He was furious when she got very close with her male friend—"

"Jealousy? I didn't even know that Saiyans got jealous. Goku was just carefree, probably didn't even know what jealousy was. And Vegeta has too much pride to get jealous..." Krillen said interrupting Piccolo's observations.

"He was angered close to becoming Super Saiyan, Krillen. Realizing his mistake, he is now depressed that one: the girl is very, _very_ close to that other boy, and two: he was dangerously close to attacking Bulma in his rage," Piccolo finished.

"He was attacking my—I mean Bulma?" Vegeta said. To say he was mad would be an understatement, but knowing that he almost showed his affections was worse than his anger.

"Only almost," Piccolo repeated. "What's worse is her father."

"Why?" Tien asked confused.

"Because," 18 answered before Piccolo could. "Her father is that pompous man claiming to have saved the world from Cell."

"Oh!" Krillen exclaimed, bursting into laughter. "I thought I had bad luck with women, but this is ridiculous!"

* * *

At the sound of Piccolo's voice, Gohan's ears tuned in to listen to their conversation. Was he really that predictable? Or was it just because Piccolo was extremely observant? What really made him feel worse was when Krillen was laughing at the irony of the pairing. The daughter of the man who 'saved the world' and the child that actually succeeded in doing what her father claimed to do. It was fairly ironic...but he couldn't help himself. It's not like he really chose her or anything. It was one look at her and BAM! he was obsessed.

Bulma's phone was ringing in her pocket. With the music, her dull human senses weren't able to hear it, but Gohan's sharp ears picked up on the little jingle easily enough.

"Bulma, answer your phone," he muttered, dropping his hands from their awkward position on her waist. Oddly enough, nobody had noticed the levitating boy, passing it off as an overly affectionate mother dancing with her pride and joy, to the point where she'd _lifted_ him off of the ground.

Bulma looked confused for a moment, but realized what he'd said, releasing her hold on him. "Hello, Bulma Briefs speaking...Chi-Chi? Yeah Gohan's right here, just a sec. I'll put him on." She held the phone out to him. "It's your mom."

"I know," he muttered, before taking the phone. "Hi mom..."

"GOHAN! Where are you? Why aren't you at home, proving to me that you are in one piece? I just want to hold my boys again. To know that everything is going to be all right! Is that really too much to ask!" Her voice was loud and piercing. Gohan winced and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Mom...MOM! I can hear you perfectly fine, you don't need to yell. It hurts you know. I just have one more thing I want to do here and then I'll be right home. I swear," Gohan pleaded.

"No! I have been away from my baby boy too long. It's going to take you long enough to get here. Even if you and your father can fly," she said. "So no. You come home right now." Chi-Chi hung up the phone without letting Gohan argue the point any further.

He sighed.

As much as he wanted to stay and meet his dark haired angel, she would have to wait. And he _would_ find her again. He just had bigger fish to fry right now.

"Bulma," he said quietly. "Will you come with me?"

"Why? You know your way right?" she asked confused his scared demeanor.

"Yeah...But mom doesn't know about dad yet...and I don't want to tell her alone," he said, nearly whispering now.

"Oh, Gohan," she said suddenly understanding. She enveloped him in a hug, and called over to the Z fighters. "It's time to go guys! Chi-Chi's going to be on the warpath when she finds out about Goku. We can't send him in alone..."

Without another word, the Z fighters left the restaurant, with Gohan and Bulma in the rear. Her arms were wrapped around him protectively. What Gohan didn't notice was that the eyes of his dark haired angel were glued on him as he passed through the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/A:** I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed chapter one. And wanted to say that I really appreciated it. I thought hard about whether to include Saiyaman or not, and decided I will. But there's going to be a few changes to him…since I couldn't really stand him during the show. Too much Ginyu and not enough Gohan…so I'm making it happen a little differently. You'll get to meet him in either the third or fourth chapter. So he'll be coming in soon. I just thought I'd warn you. And I'm sorry to ultimatedragonballzfan. I already had this written, so I couldn't add that in. I'm sorry. I hope you like this anyway. So, without further ado…chapter two:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Two**_:

Every year since that day, on the anniversary of his father's death, Gohan brought his mother and younger brother—the child his father never got to see—back to that restaurant. They made it a family tradition to honour his father's death. After all, aside from his friends and family, food was always Goku's top priority.

At first Bulma or Krillen would accompany them, but as the years passed, they realized that this was a special time for their family to bond. A time when Goten would learn of his father since Chi-Chi wasn't one to share memories of him. Gohan was sure that she still hurt from his selfless decision to sacrifice himself. He knew she worried she wasn't good enough to him, wasn't enough for him to want to live for. And no matter how often Gohan explained that he was did this _for_ her; she just couldn't shake that feeling.

Gohan, of course, had another reason to go to the restaurant. He'd been hoping that his dark haired angel would return to this place to celebrate the anniversary of Cell's defeat. But gradually over the years, he grew to expect that she wasn't going to be there. She never was. But he couldn't stop holding on to his last glimmers of hope. He didn't even know what it was about her that continued to keep him searching after so many years. During that night he hadn't so much as spoke with her. He didn't learn her name. He didn't know whether she was proud of her father, or if she even believed him capable of such a success. All he knew was that her blue eyes, cream-coloured skin and dark, flowing tresses haunted him.

Seven years have passed, without so much as a sighting of her. She shouldn't be so hard to find. Her father had a city named after him, which they lived in. Surely he could find her now-especially since she was his age.

After several months of pleading, Gohan managed to convince his mother that sending him to a normal high school was the next step in his education. She'd already taught him more than adequately. He flew through the entrance exams as though they were merely pop quizzes. He told her he needed to be around kids his own age. He had studied all he needed to, but high school was more than just studies. It was a place to make life-long friends, and to learn social skills that would one day be needed in the workforce. His _mother_ could not teach him that. Nor could his seven year old brother. It was time for him to go out on his own, and get some life training in... and hopefully, the dark haired angel would be a part of it.

* * *

"Gohan!" His mother's screams could wake the dead, but Gohan managed to sleep through each one. Years of experience had trained him for such moments. "Get down here right now! First you _beg _me to let you go to _public school_ where you'll no doubt receive an inadequate education, and now you won't even GET OUT OF BED!"

"Gohan," Goten's voice was quiet, as he shook his brother awake. "You have to go to school. Can you take me with you?"

"Sorry squirt," Gohan said, shaking off his dream. "You're too young to go to high school. Not to mention that mom hasn't even started you on your studies yet... Just enjoy this while it lasts. No doubt she'll soon have you hitting the books."

"Okay," Goten said eying the door warily. "Hi mommy!"

"Good morning sweetheart," Chi Chi greeted her youngest son. "GOHAN! Get out of bed. Your breakfast is already cold and you're going to be late for school if you don't leave soon!"

"School?" Gohan asked groggily. "Oh, school! I have to get ready." He practically flew to his closet, grabbing a pair of red pants and a white shirt that would easily cover his arms. Normal kids don't train as hard as he had. Even though in his suppressed state, he still had some muscle and he didn't need anyone questioning him about it. For good measure, he threw on a vest, and pined his Orange Star badge onto his shirt.

He ran into the kitchen, stuffing his face with as much food as possible. He knew that passing as a normal teenage boy would be hard enough without an empty stomach. Especially since his mother told him they don't eat nearly as much as Saiyans. His lunch was packed so that he would appear normal. So he wasn't going to pass up breakfast for anything.

After only a few minutes, he was running out the door. "NIMBUS!" he called out to a magical cloud that used to belong to his father. "Bye mom, bye Goten! I'll see you after school." And with that he began his long journey to school. It would take five hours by car, and three hours with Bulma's fastest jet. But with Nimbus, it would take a half an hour to an hour at the most. And he wouldn't have to stop for fuel on his way there. Flying would have taken even less time, since he was faster than his dad's old cloud. But _normal_ teenagers don't fly. So he had to take the next best thing. He was starting to get excited, enjoying the view as the cloud darted towards Satan City.

* * *

Gohan had Nimbus drop him off at the entrance to the city, since most people weren't accustomed to seeing flying clouds. He planned to walk to school from there, but realized that he was running out of time, and wouldn't be able to make it walking to be able to prove his punctuality as a student. Looking down the street he saw no cars coming, and nobody was walking about the town. "Turbo speed," he said to himself smiling before darting off full speed down the side walk. At this rate he'd make it there in time to grab a quick snack.

But he ran into a little snag by the bank.

There were some thugs causing the police some trouble, as they tried to rob the bank. They even had some hostages. Whether it was in his blood or because of his upbringing, Gohan couldn't bring himself to pass the scene. He didn't want anyone to recognize him at school, which they would no doubt know he went to Orange Star. What with his badge plainly on display. So he did the only thing he could think of. He went super.

He was able to bring down the robbers without breaking a sweat. But they shot at him. They _always_ shoot at him. It's as if people think that guns can solve all of their problems. One thing they can't get rid of is a pesky Saiyan. Gohan was able to grab all of the bullets before they even made contact with him, and dropped them to the bed of the truck before raising his hand at the assailant. With a burst of ki energy, he created a wind strong enough to blow them away.

Before the police could come and question him-and before the crowd could get too good of a look at him-he took to the air, only to circle around the block, dropping down in the alleyway where he'd stowed his book bag. Deciding to blend in, he joined the crowd.

"Hey, you!" It was a girl's voice. He didn't risk more than a peek at her, in attempts to seem innocent. He was a terrible liar. Gohan could only see the side of her face. "What happened here?" Her face was contorted into a scowl, and she gave off a feeling similar to one Gohan would feel if he were in the presence of Vegeta. She was confident. Maybe just a little _too_ confident. Borderline cocky even.

"I-I don't know. I j-just g-got here," Gohan stammered. He couldn't help but feel afraid in her presence. She was just too much like the Saiyan Prince. It was uncomfortable.

"You didn't see him?" an old man asked, turning to see the two of them. "Ah, Miss Videl! You should have seen it. He had golden hair that spiked up, and he stopped the truck just by yelling at it!"

"A golden fighter huh?" She muttered thinking back to the Cell games. They all had golden hair too. Maybe they came back out of hiding. Finally able to admit that her father succeeded where they all failed.

Gohan took this opportunity to escape. He didn't want to be there in case someone recognized him. He took off, running again at his full speed. Only now it wasn't so he could grab a snack. He was running in fear of getting caught.

"I thought maybe you knew him," the old man continued to the girl—Videl. "He was wearing a badge just like that one." He pointed to Videl's Orange Star school badge.

"All the kids at school have to wear this thing," she murmured. "Can you tell me exactly what he was wearing?"

* * *

Gohan made it to the school with just enough time to check in with the office before the first bell rang. The secretary went over his schedule with him before walking him to his first class.

"All right class, settle down. We have a new student," the teacher said signaling for Gohan to enter the room. "This is Gohan. You all can learn a thing or two from him. He got perfect test scores on all of the entrance exams."

Gohan groaned at the chorus of jokes that spread throughout the class. He should have known that normal people didn't have their studies drilled into them like he had. It should have been obvious that though being smart was an overall good thing, that normal kids don't like being shown up by geniuses. He sure didn't like being shown up in sparring matches back in the day. So he guessed he could relate to it.

"Gohan, why don't you find a seat and we'll get started," the teacher suggested.

Gohan nodded to him, before scanning the room for an available seat.

"New boy! There's one right here," called a blonde girl with just a little too much enthusiasm. She was even more bubbly than Bulma had been when she was younger—before she became a mother anyway. Gohan couldn't help but feel intimidated. But since his search came up short, he nodded and headed up to the seat.

"My name's Erasa," she said perkily. "And this is Sharpener and Videl."

"Nice to meet you," Gohan said, before burring his nose in his books. He suddenly found himself wishing for his mother's lessons. They weren't nearly as boring as this. And she moved at a much quicker pace than this man did.

And if it wasn't hard enough to pay attention as it was, the blonde guy—Sharpener was it?—was continually making jabs in Gohan's direction. "Should've known a brain like him would be taking a nose dive into those books. But even I didn't expect him to find this interesting." Gohan wanted to tell him that it wasn't interesting in the slightest, but that would insinuate that he was willing to talk during the lesson. And he was already frightened of the bubbly blonde, and there was something in the dark haired girl that struck a chord with him. But he couldn't remember where he'd seen her before...

"So Gohan," the bubbly blonde started, "have you heard the rumors of the golden fighter? They say he's super strong. Maybe even as strong as the champ. What do you think?"

"Golden fighter?" Gohan asked, afraid he already knew who it was. "Champ?"

"Where've you been for the past seven years?" Sharpener asked incredulously.

"The Champ is Hercule Satan himself," Videl told him helpfully. "And the golden fighter was a student here at Orange Star High. He was said to be wearing a black vest, a white shirt and red pants." She raised an eyebrow at Gohan's attire.

"That's weird. I'm dressed just like this Golden fighter," he said nervously.

"That's kind of cool. Maybe people with think you're the Golden fighter," Erasa said excitedly.

"Hardly," Gohan said. "I don't have spiky golden hair. Or all the muscle needed to pull off what he's done. Let alone the pulsating golden aura."

"I never said anything about any of that stuff," Videl pointed out. Gohan visibly paled.

"Um... I just didn't know that people had a name for him yet, that's all..." Gohan said lamely, stuffing his nose back in his books just as the teacher turned to call on them. Erasa blushed a deep red before admitting she didn't know the answer. Sharpener and Videl didn't have it either. Blushing, Gohan called out that the Pythagorean theorem was A squared plus B squared equals C squared. His three seat mates looked at him stunned. How had he managed to get the answer correct when they'd been talking to him throughout the lesson, and none of them had heard the question?

"Besides," Gohan whispered to them as an afterthought. "I'm guessing that this golden fighter was just a onetime thing. He probably won't show up again."

"You don't know that," Erasa said pouting. She'd been fantasizing about meeting him all morning. She just knew that if he saw her he'd fall in love with her in an instant. Then she'd have a big strong boyfriend to protect her.

"Yeah," Videl agreed. She just wanted to face him in a fight though. Nothing romantic like Erasa. She just wanted to prove that she could beat him. And that her dad could too for that matter.

"Weren't there a bunch of fighters like him at the Cell games?" Sharpener asked suddenly.

"Yeah, there were like four of them," Erasa agreed, counting them off in her head. "Do you think he could be one of them...? He looked too young though."

"Yeah," Videl said. "He's one of them. I can tell. Finally come back from nursing the wounds Cell gave him. I mean could losing to the Champ really have done so much damage to their pride?"

Gohan didn't say anything about that. Vegeta's pride had been severely wounded when Gohan let that oaf of a man take his title. "What did you do during the fight?" he asked suddenly bordering on anger.

"What could we do? We were just kids," Sharpener pointed out. He'd been laughing at Videl's comment until Gohan's anger stopped him.

"So was the '_delivery boy_' everyone keeps talking about. And he put his life on the line to save everyone else's. All of those fighters did. They did everything in their power to make the world safe for everyone. Their loved ones, their enemies and all of the people that they didn't even know. So don't go around making fun of them. One of them died that day. Did you know that?"

"No. But I never thought of it that way. They were pretty strong I guess," Videl said surprised by the nerd's sudden outburst. But then again, being the nerd that he no doubt was, he probably knew a lot about these facts. Everyone found that to be an interesting topic, but no one went into too much detail. Not even the Champ himself.

"Well I have," Gohan said clearly on the ebb of his anger. "And I for one don't believe a word that comes out of _Hercule Satan's_ mouth."

"You don't do you?" Videl asked angered. "Well than I have no interest talking to you. Who do you think you are, walking in here and disrespecting the world's saviour and my hero?"

_If you only knew _he thought to himself. He shook his head, turning away from her. Looking down he saw the teacher was wrapping up his lesson. He dismissed himself, and left the classroom for the students to have their break before their next teacher showed up.

Much to Gohan's surprise, a young girl runs up the stairs to his seat. "Gohan?" she asks hesitantly hardly believing her eyes. She is very familiar, though he can't imagine why. Eerily her blue eyes and long brown hair—which was carefully pulled into two long braids—struck a chord of remembrance. Of a time of peace before Cell.

Could she really be her?

"Lime?" He stood up surprised by his recognition. She smiled immediately.

"You remember me!" she said jumping up and down before throwing her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her in a circle. "You've grown up so much," she mused, taking a good look at him. "But you've changed your hair."

Shocked, he asked her, "Did you like it better before?"

"Oh no! I like it both ways. It just made it harder to recognize you!"

"Um... Lime?" Videl asked. "He's my new enemy."

"Really? Why?" she asked shocked by Videl's outright dislike of her friend.

"I don't believe in Hercule Satan's story," Gohan explained with a wink in her direction. She understood immediately. Hercule didn't do it...because Gohan did. But she wasn't going to tell his secret. She winked back.

"Oh, I get it," Lime said knowingly. "But just because you don't like him doesn't mean I can't. He's my hero."

"Oh, how is your village by the way," Gohan asked.

"Oh, it's fine. I haven't been there for awhile though," she said sadly.

"Yeah, why are you going to school so far from home?" Gohan asked, remembering his geography. She lived further away than he did.

"Oh, well...there was this charity thing. And since that dome kind of ruined the town, the school was kind of demolished. They tried to restore the village, but it isn't as great as it once was. And since I was kind of above the average in the village, the Champ offered for me to come and live with him and his daughter, and go to school here," she explained.

Hercules daughter! Gohan had nearly forgotten his mission in his rage earlier. He'd have to talk to Lime at lunch and find out who this girl was. Then he could finally meet her. And then hopefully whatever obsession that had possessed him for these past seven years would just disappear.

"What about you?" she asked taking him out of his reverie.

"Oh, I just thought it would be fun to go to high school, so I convinced my mom to let me come here. It's not as highly recommended as the one in West City, but I didn't want to impose on Vegeta's domain," he chuckled to himself. He'd only seen Lime a couple of times since their first meeting. But they'd gone into detail about his friends. She joined in on his laughter. "Besides. I figured if I came to Satan City...that I'd get a chance to see the 'Champ' fight. That way he could prove to me whether or not he did what he says he did."

"I'd like to see you get in a ring with him," Videl snapped.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly," Gohan said smiling. "I don't know how to fight." Lime burst into another fit of giggles. He couldn't quite manage to suppress a chuckle.

"I don't see what's so funny," Videl said angrily. "But I don't take kindly to it." Her watch beeped and started talking to her. It was the police chief. He needed her to come and help him with something, so she burst from the room.

"Where's she going?" Gohan asked. Normally people didn't bolt from a classroom like that.

"To fight crime silly," Erasa said. She hadn't said a word in awhile. She was too busy sneaking peaks between the cute new guy and Videl's housemate. "You two would make a cute couple, did you know that?"

"Us?" Gohan asked incredulously, pointing between him and Lime.

"No way," Lime said. "He's like a brother." The two burst into laughter again.

"Oh, by the way, I have one now," Gohan said. "A brother I mean. He looked just like my dad."

"Blonde?" she asked trying to picture it.

"Nope," Gohan said pointing to his own hair. "It's just like mine. Only it's all over the place."

"Sounds cute. Can I meet him?" she asked excitedly.

"I suppose so. There's no reason you can't," he said smiling. "Can you get to West City?"

"But don't you live up in the Mountains?" Lime asked confused. Why would she go to West City if he lived in the opposite direction?

"Yeah, like five hours from here. It'll be easier if I just take him to visit Vegeta and Trunks and you met up with us there," Gohan explained. He was nervous to mention Bulma's name. She was known worldwide for being the wealthiest woman in the world. Not to mention being the genius currently behind the operations at Capsule Corp. People knew these things about her, and most people wouldn't believe that a kid from out near the mountains would have that kind of friend.

"You have a five hour commute!" Erasa and Sharpener shouted at once.

"Man you really are a nerd," Sharpener muttered. "Driving for five hours, going to school for six and then driving for five more. That only leaves you like eight hours for sleep and homework and a social life. That can't be healthy."

"What can I say," Gohan mumbled. "I'm really dedicated to my education."

_Wow. That sounded lame. Even to me._

"So, Lime. Can you get there? Or do you want me to pick you up on the way?" He was trying to cover up his lame comment from before by changing the subject. It seemed to work fine. But only because Lime helped him.

"I don't know. I don't have a license yet, so I can't drive. I suppose I could take a taxi..." she trailed off.

"Say no more. I'll find a phone and tell mom to send Goten with the Nimbus. It'll save you a lot of trouble," Gohan said finally. "After school okay?"

"After school sounds perfect."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/A:** I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. And wanted to say that it means a lot to me that you guys all seem to like it. Jarno, about your questions about the Pythagorem Theorem. I was trying to insinuate that Gohan's class is way further behind in their studies than he is, thanks to his mother. And yeah, you're right. I was about eleven or twelve when I learned about it. But it's a concept that is generally well known, but sounds smart. So I threw it in there. Zi-Dawg, I wasn't planning to add Buu in there. Especially since Lime's presence has already changed so much. Plus I wanted more creative freedom so I planned to leave it out, instead of having to follow a previously set guideline.

P.S. I'm sorry for the long wait. I wrote most of the chapter, and then decided I didn't like it. And then I read over it again and again, trying to find out what was wrong, but couldn't come up with anything better, so I continued writing it this way. So, I know it's not very good, but I think I like where it ended…

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Three**_:

Lime and Gohan made plans to meet up for lunch before their next teacher arrived. Once she did, Gohan graciously stuck his nose in his work, not wanting to talk anymore. He'd already revealed to one person who he was exactly. And he'd also royally ticked off Videl. And to top it all off, he still didn't know who Hercule's daughter was. For some reason he felt as though he'd soon go insane if he didn't find out who she was soon. There weren't that many girls with dark, dark hair and crystal blue eyes in the school. In fact the only girl with dark enough hair was Videl, but she was way too much like Vegeta to be the sweet youth that had captured his attention for so long.

Gohan made it through his next classes with ease. When the teacher started repeating themselves, he would turn his thoughts to either the girl or Videl. Videl had been gone for awhile now. Surely she was almost done now. It wouldn't have taken him nearly this long to have handled the situation. Granted he was half-Saiyan. She wasn't. He couldn't help but feel worried about her. He spent almost as much time worrying about Videl as he did musing over who his dark haired angel could be.

Thankfully, lunch came fast. As soon as the bell chimed, he bolted from the room. Slow enough to seem normal, but still running none the less. Lime followed after him, running as fast as she could, but she was soon lost in his dust. By the time she finally caught up with him, he was sitting under the big oak tree they'd agreed on.

"Eager to eat, I see?" Lime teased. He looked at her sheepishly. She burst into giggles.

"Kinda," he admitted. He wasn't going to admit that he was starving. After all, his breakfast probably would have fed his entire class. It only took him a minute or two to scarf down his entire lunch.

"Okay, spill it," Lime said looking at him with a hawk's eye.

"Spill what?" Gohan asked nervously.

"There is no way on Earth that you came specifically to this school in attempts to meet the Champ. So why are you here?" She didn't miss anything. You could've sworn she'd known him her entire life. She knew him like the back of her hand.

"Well... You're going to laugh," he muttered.

"I swear, I won't laugh," she said, playfully drawing a cross shape on her heart.

"When I was little—right after the Cell games anyway—I kind of went to a party... Anyway, long story short, I saw Hercule Satan's daughter, and I really wanted to meet her, only I had to leave to tell my mom that dad was dead and didn't want to be wished back. So I never got to meet her, and her memory has plagued me for seven years..." Gohan finished. Lime didn't catch everything he said, but she got the idea.

Despite her promise, Lime started laughing. Gohan was about to protest, when she tried to explain herself. "Gohan...haha. You've already met her! Haha... In fact, she's on her way over right now, hahaha."

Gohan whipped his head around to see Sharpener, Erasa and Videl weaving their way through the picnicking students, to make their way over to Lime and Gohan. He was shocked to say the least.

_Why didn't I see it before?_ he berated himself. _She's got two blonde friends, just like before. Of course Sharpener has been working out a lot... Maybe that means Videl likes strong guys? Woah! Hold your horses Gohan. You don't even like Videl. Just because you find out she's the girl you've been searching for doesn't mean you have to throw yourself all over her. I mean, c'mon, show some dignity. But she does look beautiful. Even prettier than before...if that's even possible..._

He was taking in her appearance. She still had her dark hair tied in pigtails, and the most breathtaking eyes he'd ever seen in his life. But only now that her glare wasn't on her face, could he even see that. Before he was blinded by her fierce determination.

_Oh! Darn it, Gohan. You insulted her father right in front of her!_

Now that he'd looked at her—_really_ looked at her—he could see that it had to be her. The main differences being her muscle tone, her semi-permanent scowl, and her inability to smile at anyone other than Erasa. Kami, he wanted to make her smile like Erasa could. Without scowling, she was the most graceful, most beautiful thing to ever walk the earth—no. Not just Earth. Gohan had been in space before, and he'd never seen anyone who compared to her. She had to be the most perfect being in the Galaxy, if not the universe.

Gohan knitted his eyes together in frustration as the scowl reappeared on her face. Granted she was still pretty with it, she just wasn't the same.

"Ow," Gohan cried, when Lime gave him a sharp elbow in the gut. He'd been staring, and must have been making Videl uncomfortable. "Sorry..."

"So Videl," Lime said, saving Gohan from the spotlight. "How did everything go with the police chief?"

"Not good," she replied, scowling deeper. "He got away. Now he's out there plotting another attempt, instead of behind sealed bars like he should be."

"So what?" Gohan said. "He'll get caught next time for sure. He's lost the element of surprise. And in any battle, be it a battle of wits or strength, surprise is the ultimate weapon."

"True," Videl said raising her eyebrow at him. "But we still don't know where he's going to show up though."

"Well, maybe that Golden Fighter guy will show up and take him out for you," Lime said with a sly smile. It sounded like a statement, but Gohan knew she was asking if what he planned on doing. He smirked.

"No. He's definitely leaving this city alone. It's already got Videl," he said turning to look at the girl in question. "She doesn't seem to like him. Doesn't seem to want any help."

"Damn right I don't," Videl said sounding more like Vegeta than he thought possible. "It's in my blood to help people."

"Oh!" Gohan said, as if he'd forgotten something. "About what I said earlier about the Champ... I didn't mean any disrespect by it. I didn't know he was your father..."

"So if you knew you just wouldn't have said it in front of me?" Videl asked, getting angry.

"Probably not..." Gohan said, thinking about it. "I don't like it when people disrespect _my_ father—not that there is anything bad about my father at all. Quite the opposite actually. Wouldn't be able to ride Nimbus if there was—but I digress. I am offering you an apology. You don't have to take it, but I'm offering it none the less."

"Would you have said what you did with just your friends around?" She glared at him.

"Hmm..." Gohan said thinking. Did she mean Lime? Erasa and Sharpener weren't really friends, but he liked them well enough. What if she meant the Z fighters? "Who do you mean exactly?"

"Your friends. Like Lime," Videl said thinking he must only be book smart or something. "The people you would hang out with on a regular basis."

"Oh. Well, if you have to hang out on a regular basis," he said thinking. "That just leaves my little brother and his friend Trunks. Oh, and Trunks' parents."

"You don't have any friends?" Erasa asked sadly. "I'll be your friend!"

"I have friends, like Icarus, and all of my dad's old friends. We just don't hang out very often. Actually, I haven't seen some of them since the last reunion party four years ago. We're actually due for another one..." Gohan said. He'd have to talk to Bulma about getting everyone together again.

"Your dad's _old_ friends," Lime whispered.

Gohan nodded.

"Gohan, I'm so sorry! Why didn't you tell me?" She threw her arms around her friend, trying to comfort him—but needing more comfort herself.

"It was his decision," Gohan said, looking at her confused. Besides, he did tell her. She just didn't listen to that part. "I'll see him again... Hopefully not too soon," he laughed. "But I'll see him."

"How long ago did it happen?" Lime asked. Erasa, Sharpener and Videl were at a loss of what to say. What do you tell a stranger after you learn his father's dead?

"Seven years ago last Tuesday," Gohan said smiling. He knew she'd put the dates together and figure it out on her own.

What he didn't expect was Videl to get it first.

"The Cell games?" Videl asked. "Your father died at the Cell games?"

"Yeah," he said looking over her now sympathetic form. The scowl was gone again. "But you—and everyone—are still alive. And that's what counts. That's what he went there to make sure of. Couldn't get him down about anything. You know, he was smiling at us when it happened. The goofy monkey guy that he was." He realized tears were swelling in his eyes. He pushed them back, turning to Lime. "Goten never got to meet him, but it's like dad is with me all the time. They're two peas in a pod those two."

"Now I really can't wait to meet him," Lime smiled, ruffling his hair with her hand. "Do you need to call him? How else is supposed to know when to come," she said pulling out her cell phone.

"Would you believe me if I said I had no idea what that was?" he asked her smiling.

"Actually, I would," she laughed, before opening it. "Just type in your phone number, and then press the green button."

"Oh," Gohan said. He wasn't planning to tell him like this. He was just going to go and get him. But this was as good a way as any. "Okay."

He quickly typed in the numbers.

"Hello?"

"Mom? This is Gohan, can you put Goten on?"

"Why? What's wrong; did something happen? Are you making any friends? I shouldn't have sent you to that stupid school. I want you to come home right away," she let everything out in a rush.

"Everything's fine... No monsters," Gohan sighed, she really panicked too often. "Just put him on. Or will I have to call Piccolo instead?"

Videl narrowed her eyes at him. _Piccolo? The demon King Piccolo? Why would Gohan know him? Better yet, why would he threaten his own mother with him?_

"Don't call that green monster! He'll probably come and kidnap my Goten. Just like he kidnapped you," she said in a fearful whisper.

"Piccolo didn't kidnap me," Gohan sighed. "He was doing what dad asked him. Now put Goten on the phone. Right now mom."

_Gohan was kidnapped?_ Videl thought to herself. _Who is this guy?_

"Fine..." She set the phone down. "GOTEN!"

The teenagers around Gohan could hear her perfectly when she screamed.

"Mom!" Gohan yelled. He was in pain. His hearing was better than his audience's, and he had the phone right up to his ear. "My ears!"

"Sorry honey. I forgot your alien hearing," she said simply. "He's on his way."

"How could you forget? Either Goten or I remind you practically every day. Not to mention Trunks and Vegeta. And Piccolo. I'm glad you haven't really met Dende yet. He'd probably ban me from the lookout for life," Gohan laughed at his joke- not that any of his school friends understood it. Chi Chi just scowled.

"Goten, take the phone. It's your brother," she said angrily.

"Hey squirt. I need you to bring Nimbus over okay? After school you and me are going to visit Trunks, 'Kay?" Gohan asked when his brother got on the phone.

"Really! I can't wait," he yelled.

"Really, Goten? You're just as bad as mom," Gohan said rubbing his ear again.

"Sorry. I'll see you real soon," Goten whispered. "Bye!" He hung up before Gohan could tell him that school wasn't over yet. He handed the phone back to Lime and closed his eyes. He was sensing for Goten's power. Sure enough, it was already on its way over. He'd be here in a few minutes—maybe twenty at the most. Goten was terrible with directions, but Gohan had taught him to sense power levels, so he was probably just following Gohan's.

"Well?" Lime asked. She didn't know how the phone call went, especially since Gohan closed his eyes right after.

"He said he'll see me real soon," Gohan sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this."

The bell signalling the end of lunch rang, and the majority of the picnicking students, headed into the school building.

"C'mon. It's time for class. It's like a five hour flight, so he won't be here too soon," Videl said, trying to sound helpful. Unfortunately, Gohan was hoping that they'd all forgotten how far away he lived... Videl hadn't.

_She's strong, beautiful _and _smart? Too bad she hates your guts Gohan. You just had to open your mouth didn't you? Even after all that practicing. 'Isn't Hercule the greatest?' You just couldn't say it could you. Now she'll never like you, or love you, or even want to be your friend... This couldn't be any worse could it?_

"Earth to Gohan! Are you there Gohan," Videl asked, using her fist to knock on his skull. Thankfully, she only tapped lightly. He didn't want her to break her delicate little hand on his head. That wouldn't go over well.

Gohan shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. He realized then that he'd been staring at Videl again.

_She's going to think you're really creepy, Gohan! Stop doing that._

"Sorry," he said, standing up. "I'll be late for class; I've got to go take care of something...or rather someone."

Lime gave him a questioning glance, but quickly ushered Erasa and Sharpener from the area. Videl on the other hand, would not be swayed.

"I'll help you."

It was a statement. She wasn't asking permission either.

"The teacher will understand me being late," she said smirking. "But I'm going to enjoy hearing _your_ excuse."

"It's a family matter, Videl," he said. He liked the way her name rolled off of his tongue.

_Get a grip! You need to stop getting distracted. It's painfully obvious that you like her. You have to wait until she stops hating you before you can try anything!_

"Really? But I thought..." she trailed off confused. Didn't he just get off the phone with his mother and brother? And he lived pretty far away, so they couldn't be here yet. Maybe there was someone else...

"It's all right Videl," Gohan said, semi-distracted. Goten had just passed the city boundaries, he would be there in a few moments. "Ah man, here he comes. I've got to go." With that he started running—slow for him, but still fairly fast for a human—towards the Goten's energy.

"I said I was helping you!" Videl said angered by his sudden disappearance. She took off after his general direction. "Gohan!"

_Man that guy is fast. Maybe we should get him to join the track team... Wait, Videl! You hate him. Don't do anything nice for him! Although he is the only person you've ever met to not swoon at the thought of you being Hercule's daughter..._

She was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice that overhead two half-Saiyans were riding on a small golden cloud.

* * *

"Goten," Gohan scolded. "I said after school. There's still a bit of class left. Go home and come back later."

"No!" Goten yelled loudly. "Mom has me doing something called studying, and it's really hard. Harder than all my training with you Gohan. I don't want to go back. Don't make me!"

"So she finally has you studying?" Gohan asked incredulously. "It's about time. You're seven! I was studying the high school curriculum by that age, in between training for the androids of course. It's not fair that mom's slacked off at teaching you."

"But you liked it..." Goten protested, only to be cut off by Gohan.

"I hated it," Gohan said. "She brainwashed me into wanting to be an orthopedist by the age of four. What do you want to be...the next world champion!"

"Yep. And I'm going to be too! Only if Trunks doesn't enter. He's stronger than me... And his dad can't enter...or you either. And maybe not Piccolo..." Goten trailed off, thinking about all of the people that were stronger than him.

"Then go home and train," Gohan said, trying a different tactic. "And come back in a few hours."

"No way! I want to go to school with you," Goten said, crossing his arms.

"What if I drop you off at Trunks' house?" Gohan pleaded with him, counting all the minutes that passed. He was already seven minutes late. There had to be a way to get rid of his brother.

"Nope. You just go into school, and then I'll go with you. Even if you leave me out here, I'll follow you inside. So you get to pick," Goten said smiling.

Gohan sighed, but bolted off of the cloud so fast that Goten couldn't even see him anymore. He kept up his fast pace until he was at the classroom door. Once there, he stopped, and took a deep breath, suppressing his energy so Goten would just think he was another human. Then he entered the room.

"Ah, Gohan, it's nice of you to grace us with your presence," his professor said smirking. "But why, pray tell, are you so late in getting here?"

"It was a family matter sir," Gohan said honestly. "It shouldn't happen again."

"It better not.," the teacher said sternly. "Now take your seat. Or do I need to remind you where it is?"

Gohan realized he'd just been standing awkwardly in the doorway. He smiled, and shook his head, before heading up to his seat.

_Gohan! Videl already hates you for disrespecting her father, why did you have to go and make her think you're lame too?_

"What's up Gohan?" Erasa asked, batting her eyelashes. As she was flirting with him, he couldn't help but notice how attractive she'd become since he'd seen her last. Well, he'd seen her that morning, but he hadn't realized who she was exactly. Now that he knew, he was seeing her in a different light. Sharpener too, but not the same way. He noted the difference in Sharpener's muscle tone, but smirked as he sensed his minuscule power level.

_Hmm... If Videl likes her men strong, then I've got a better chance than Pretty Boy over there._

Just then, Gohan registered a high power level just outside his classroom. Then he heard the door knock. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to Dende that it wasn't who he thought it was.

"Excuse me for a moment, class," the teacher said, heading to the door. The class seemed to take this as an excuse to start chattering among themselves.

Gohan on the other hand, just started muttering his prayers aloud.

"Please, Dende, if you even have a heart, do not let me be right about who that is. Please tell me that Goten went home like I said he should, instead of doing what I think he did," Gohan muttered.

Erasa and Sharpener shot him a questioning glance, before murmuring between each other.

"Nerd boy isn't just a nerd," Sharpener started. "He's insane."

"Is he praying?" Erasa asked.

"Gohan, what's your problem?" A loud voice called to him from the doorway.

"I don't have a problem, sir," Gohan said, trying to act as though he didn't know who this man was.

"If you've decided to start showing respect for me boy, I'd prefer something along the lines of 'mileage' or 'your majesty'." The comment was accompanied by a smirk.

"What do you want?" Gohan asked, losing his patience.

"What was that boy?" the man said furiously.

"Sorry your majesty, Prince of all Saiyans," Gohan said sarcastically. "Whatever did I do for you to grace me with your presence?"

"That's more like it boy," Vegeta said with a smile—not a smirk, a smile. But his smile was quickly turned to a grimace by the child in the hallway. "Now you take your little brat, and never let him interrupt my training ever again!"

He grabbed Goten by his shirt, and threw him into the classroom.

"Hiya Gohan! I told you that I'd find a way inside," Goten said grinning.

"Vegeta! What am I supposed to do with a seven-year-old? I'm in school," Gohan argued. To Gohan's surprise, Vegeta looked a little confused. But he took out his confusion by lifting the teacher off of the ground by his shirt.

"What was that, boy?" Vegeta said smirking his evil little smirk.

"N-never mind. C-come here G-goten," Gohan stuttered, smiling his typical grin. He knew he could beat Vegeta. That wasn't the problem. The problem is that no ordinary human could beat Vegeta, and that was what he was posing as. He couldn't just go Super-Saiyan 2 and take out the threat. Everyone would know his secret if he did. It was best for the class if he just did what Vegeta wanted.

Unfortunately, what's best for the class, doesn't necessarily mean what's best for Videl. She stood from her seat and stalked down the stairs. Gohan rushed after her, along with Lime. He had to find a way to stop her. She could get seriously injured. And if she was, he didn't think he could stop himself from beating Vegeta to a pulp.

Knowing that Vegeta's Saiyan hearing was much more sensitive than the hearing of those around him, he whispered his threat. "Vegeta, if you hurt her, I'll kill you."

Vegeta looked taken aback by such a comment, and laughed to himself, confident that he was now stronger than Gohan. If only he knew how wrong he was.

"And what are you going to do?" Vegeta said to Gohan. Videl mistook this comment, figuring it was directed in her direction.

"I'm going to escort you off of the property, unless you feel I should get the police involved?"

"Just go Vegeta," Gohan pleaded in a whisper.

Vegeta nodded.

"You and your father were always too soft," Vegeta said, dropping the teacher to the floor.

Gohan just shook his head as once again Videl thought the comment was for her.

"Well, we just like helping people, what's the problem in that? You know, if he didn't beat Cell, you wouldn't even be here right now," she huffed.

Vegeta let out a growl. How dare she insult the Prince of all Saiyans!

"Vegeta, now," Gohan said through gritted teeth. The Prince scoffed, but he complied with Gohan's wishes.

"You're lucky today, girl. But mark my words," Vegeta said menacingly. "If you ever cross my path again, you better pray that the boy will be there to save you again." With that, Vegeta stalked out of the room.

"Gohan, Gohan! I told you, didn't I?" Goten said, jumping up and down with a silly grin on his face. "So when are you going to show me what class is?"

"Goten," Gohan said. Once Vegeta had left, his calm had returned to him. "You are in a class. See all of those people staring down here? They are students."

"What are you learning about? Mommy was making me learn hard stuff with numbers," Goten said hoping he didn't interrupt a math class.

"This is history," Gohan said vaguely. He just realized that he hadn't been paying attention during the ten minutes he'd been in the classroom.

"That's right," the teacher said, righting himself from the floor. He dusted off his jacket, and then took his place by his desk. "If that child is to stay here, he is to be quiet."

"Yes sir," Gohan said grabbing Goten's hand. "We sit up there Goten," Gohan said pointing to his seat.

"Oh, that's so cool!" Goten said, trying to jump up to the seat—unfortunately for him Gohan had a firm grasp on his arm, and he was unable to break free.

"We're playing a game of pretend, Goten," Gohan whispered. "We're pretending to be weak like these students. So we can't jump super high, or beat people up or anything."

"Oh, school is no fun," Goten huffed, sitting on the floor next to Gohan's seat. "At least with mom I get sparring lessons."

"Shh," Gohan hushed his brother, he needed to get caught up on the class. He copied Erasa's notes furiously. If he wrote any faster, he would have burnt a hole in the paper.

* * *

Goten sat quietly, until gym class. "Can I play! Can I play?"

"No," Gohan said sternly. He was thinking of all the damage that little half-Saiyan could do in a room full of humans.

"Let him play," Videl said angrily. "He's been cooped up all afternoon like the rest of us, he deserves it." The teacher looked at Videl, and started nodding quickly.

"Fine," Gohan agreed dejectedly. Then he turned to his little brother. Kneeling down so they were face to face, Gohan explained to him, "You need to lower your power level to as low as you can make it. Can you do that for me?"

"Yep. You can count on me Gohan," Goten smiled.

Videl hadn't stopped glaring at Gohan since the Vegeta incident. She'd been trying to figure out how a nice—but really disrespectful—young man could be involved with such a cold-hearted jerk like that Vegeta guy. How was _Gohan_ able to get him to leave, while she couldn't get him to move an inch?

"Hey Videl," Sharpener called, dragging her out of her thoughts.

"What do you want Sharpener," she said taking out some of her anger on him.

"What do you say we put a little wager on the game?" he said slyly.

"I'm listening," Videl said.

"If I win, you go on a date with me," he said smiling.

"And if I win," she said, as she planned the best ways to beat Sharpener.

"I leave you alone for a week?"

"No, there's no way I'd agree to that. You'd just hound me extra next week," Videl countered.

"True."

"Okay, how about winner picks the loser's date?" Videl said. She'd already planned on winning, so she was in no danger. And this was the perfect opportunity to turn him in a new romantic direction. She was never going to give in to him.

"Alright," Sharpener said, also planning to win. He knew just who he would make Videl go on a date with... Himself! And if she refused, saying that wasn't allowed, which he knew she would, he would say she had to pick between that new kid and himself. She hated that new kid with a passion, and was positive that she would pick him over Gohan.

Videl and Sharpener divided the class into two teams. Videl picked Erasa and Lime, knowing that Sharpener would never pick them, therefore saving them the embarrassment of being picked last. Gohan and Goten weren't spared such luck. It was down to four classmates. Sharpener not wanting to get stuck with them, graciously let Videl have them for her team.

"Thanks," she muttered looking towards the boys. They were playing rock, paper, scissors.

"I win Gohan, I win!" Goten said cheerfully. He was using his _paper_ to cover up Gohan's _scissors_.

"No," Gohan said patiently. "Scissors cut paper, paper covers rock, and rock smashes scissors."

"Oh, this is too hard," Goten sulked.

Videl sighed. A nerd and a half-wit. She turned to Sharpener. "I'll win even with them."

"Ok then. Let's play ball!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/A: **I'm sorry for the really long wait. I just couldn't get inspired to write this next chapter, but I finished it just a couple of minutes ago, so I thought I'd put it up right away. I want to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. And I want to say that it means a lot to me that you guys all seem to like it. Mandalore 18, I took your suggestion into account, and melded it with my own idea, so I hope you like how it turned out. You'll see more of it in the next chapter though, it is just mentioned here. And to all of you who don't know, I'm talking about Saiyaman's costume. So, without further ado, chapter four!

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Four**_:

"Okay," Videl told her team, "we have to win this one."

"Right," Goten said, looking at her with his game face on. Without losing his serious expression, he slid a little closer to Gohan, and whispered in a none to quiet tone, "What is _baseball_?"

"He doesn't even know what baseball is?" Videl shouted, furious at the little boy's older brother. With her serious game face, she was looking a little less like Gohan's mystery angel, and more like that rude girl he saw earlier in the day, at his first impression of her. And he didn't really like it that much. "You should have taught him or something! We _have_ to win this one. He can't slow us down. If they find out he doesn't know how to play, then they'll target him, so that they can beat us."

"Videl," Gohan said—momentarily distracted by her name on his tongue—"They won't get past Goten. I swear."

"But he said he didn't know how to play," Erasa said, very confused at this point. _Why do we absolutely have to win? Oh..._ It suddenly dawned on her. "What's this game's bet?"

"The bet isn't important!" Videl snapped. Her infamous glare returned to her face, as she turned on her best friend. Gohan was suddenly frightened of her. Goten was too. She had that same look on her face as their mother did when she pulled out the frying pan.

Gohan decided she was much more attractive without that glower. _Okay, Gohan. She may hate your guts for what you said about her dad, but you still have to find a way to make her smile._

"Goten," Gohan muttered, steering the little boy away from the arguing girls. "You know Yamcha? Well, he's a baseball player. All those time you saw him on the TV. were because of baseball games. So you just need to catch the ball if you're in the outfield, and throw it to the base that any of the runners are getting close to. Or you could tag them with the ball. And if you're at bat, just hit the ball. But we aren't showing our powers, so purposely miss the first time the ball is thrown, and maybe even the second. And only tap the ball when you do hit it. Got it?"

"Yep, I think so. I just have a question... What's the base? Is it like a head quarters? Are they all spies?" Goten asked excitedly. He didn't know that Yamcha had such an exciting job.

"No. Do you see those white squares on the ground?" Gohan asked, pointing to the diamond behind him.

"Yep yep. Is that the bases?" he asked, moving his eyes quickly, as he swept the diamond in search of these bases.

"Yes," Gohan said with a smile. "When you hit the ball, you run to the first one. If someone tells you to keep running, do it, but if they don't, just stay there until the next batter hits the ball. Unless someone gets a home run, which is highly unlikely. Unless it's you or I. Or maybe Videl and Sharpener. You can't be too sure. Their power levels are higher than others, but still only as strong as mom at the most."

"Got it."

Gohan walked Goten back to the girls. Erasa was grinning from ear to ear, while Videl's scowl had only gotten meaner. Gohan could only guess that Erasa had won their little dispute.

"He knows what to do now," Gohan said, pointing to his little brother. "He'll be fine out there."

"He better be," Erasa said giggling. "Or Videl will be Sharpener's girlfriend before you know it." Videl turned to her and covered her friend's mouth with her hand. Gohan blanched. _Sharpener wants to date Videl? How do I beat him? She doesn't hate his guts, but she doesn't seem to happy about this bet. Otherwise she wouldn't be so dead set on winning..._

"Erasa," she whispered fiercely. Gohan and Goten could hear her perfectly, though they doubted they were supposed to. They turned away in order to give them as much privacy as they could.

"You weren't supposed to tell anyone! What if Gohan wants that to happen? Huh, and then he blows the game on purpose. I mean he can't be very good if he tried, but if he chooses Sharpener over us, then he won't try at all."

"Why would anyone pick Sharpener over you? You're the daughter of the Champ, who could resist that?" Erasa countered.

"Gohan could. He's got a thing against my dad, remember?" Videl said. "Besides, nobody needs to know about my personal life."

"But everybody does," Erasa said, remembering the times that the press chased them home in order to get the inside scoop on the Champ's daughter.

"It's time to play," Videl growled, as she grabbed the ball. "Sharpener, you bat first."

"All right by me," he said with a grin. He was already planning to hit a homer. And with those mountain dorks on her team, he was bound to cream them. He'd be going out with Videl by the end of the week.

Gohan was thinking along the same lines. _I can't let our team lose. She clearly doesn't like Sharpener in that way, but that could change when they are alone, taken out of the public eye. I just have to get my game on. Okay, Gohan, think... You're up against Cell, and the only way to beat him is by winning this baseball game... Yeah right. Okay. This is a training exercise on controlling your strength. Hmm... That could work. Just have to keep your eye on the prize. And DON'T let anything slip. Got it._

"Gohan, you'll play right field, you know where that is right?" Videl said with a smirk.

"It's the one on the right, right?" Gohan said grinning. His clothes must be doing their job, since no one believes he could be athletic in the slightest. It was true that he'd never actually _played_ baseball. But he had read books on the subject.

"Right," she said, her smirk faltering. "And I'm putting your brother in centre, so you've basically got half of the outfield to watch over. Got it."

"Yes Videl," he said, taking a good long look at her flabbergasted face. He smirked as he turned.

_Well, that's one way to get rid of that stupid glower._

"Goten, games on, remember what I told you. We're outfield."

"Yes, sir, big brother sir," Goten said with a salute and a grin.

Both boys started laughing as they walked out to their posts.

Videl threw a couple pitches at the catcher to warm up, while Sharpener practiced his swing. He was going to bat third. That way, his team would have a chance of getting a couple people on base before he hit his homer. But he would have no way of getting three outs before he could. His team was guaranteed anywhere from 1 to 3 runs right off the bat. Or that's what he thought anyway...

To say that Sharpener was surprised by Videl's team would be an understatement. She'd positioned all of her best players to cover the bases, leaving Lime to cover left field, and Erasa idly standing adjacent to Videl. And of course, she'd left the two mountain boys to cover the rest of the outfield. With Sharpener's teammates being unable to hit farther than the infield, they were easily taken out of the game.

But, with a cocky grin, Sharpener took his place, ready to bat. With only the mountain boys and Lime as the outfielders, he wouldn't even need to hit a homer to get his run. He'd just need to hit it far enough that they would have to run to get it. Of course, with the way his team was playing, he was planning a homer anyway. Might as well look good while winning.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Videl said angrily. "You're not hitting this pitch!"

"We'll see about that," Sharpener laughed, getting ready.

"Is it almost time Gohan? I'm getting bored," Goten whined, looking to his older brother with puppy dog eyes, as if Gohan could make the game more interesting.

"Goten," Gohan said—though Goten was metres away from him at the time. "Come over here. If Sharpener manages to hit the ball, which I'm pretty sure he will, it's going to come this way. Videl's too angry to throw her pitch properly."

"I'm on my way!" Goten said laughing.

The coach—who was acting as catcher for both teams—watched puzzled, as the child ran over to the right field position. He was too distracted to notice Videl had thrown the ball. By the time he looked back, Sharpener was just hitting it. His eyes widened. If Sharpener hadn't hit it, he would be seriously injured right now, or worse. He managed to shake himself out of his shock in time to see Goten slip his foot into Gohan's interlocked fingers, and launch himself into the air in time to catch the ball... Only he had somehow managed to get up twenty five feet in the air!

"Woah!" he muttered to himself. He heard similar gasps of astonishment coming from his students. The loudest being from Sharpener and Videl. Lime, he noticed, didn't seem at all fazed by this, and was cheering loudly.

The little boy fell back down to earth, to be caught easily by his older brother. Goten then laughed giddily, as he clutched the ball with both hands. "Here Gohan, I don't remember what to do next!"

Gohan took the ball from his brother, and looked back at his classmates. _Okay. Sharpener hasn't made it to the base yet, so all I have to do is throw it to the first base player... No wait! Goten already got him out. So I guess the ball goes back to Videl._ Gohan noticed that Videl was looking at both him and his brother in awe. He smiled to himself. That was definitely better than that scowl.

"Here it comes Videl," he called loudly. _All right Gohan, nice and easy. You don't want to show too much strength._ He threw the ball as lightly as he could directly at Videl. She gasped, only barely managing to lift her glove up in time to catch it. She—much to her chagrin—was knocked right off her feet. And she noticed the ball was smoking in her now charred mitt.

"What is with that guy?" She shook her head. She hated him. What did she care? But she did. She had to know why his simple flick of the wrist was faster than her best pitch. Other than that, he could drop off the face of the earth for all she cared. She did kind of like his carefree little brother. But definitely not Gohan.

The coach was the first to shake himself out of his shock. "Change up!" The students came back to reality at the sound of their coach's voice, and followed his orders. Gohan high-fived his little brother, and headed towards the benches.

"Gohan! That was amazing," Lime said smiling, taking her seat next to him.

"Yeah, Goten," Videl said coming in and eying them suspiciously. "That was some jump. You must've cleared 25 feet."

"Oh, it was just luck," Gohan said quickly realizing their mistake. "It's his new shoes! They give him a real spring in his step."

"And what about your throw? Was it just the _shoes_ too?" Her eyes narrowed into her glare yet again, and Gohan was panicking. How to explain the force of his throw...?

"No," Goten said with a goofy little grin. "Shoes don't make you throw better, silly! Gohan's just good at baseball is all."

Videl feeling embarrassed at being made fun of by a kid, left them to their thoughts, as she took first bat.

"You know, if you're going for normal," Lime said. "That's definitely not the best way to go about it."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked. "I threw as lightly as I could! And Goten could've jumped that high on his own; I didn't need to launch him..."

"Normal people can't jump higher than an apartment building, guys. And their throws don't burn through a glove. It was still really cool though! I can't wait to see you guys hit the ball. The look on Sharpener's face will be priceless, when little Goten gets up and hits a home run," Lime was laughing to herself when Gohan's name was called up to bat.

He gulped. He was going to have to strike out if he didn't want to show off anymore of his power. _You're a normal kid. It's normal to strike out every once in awhile. I wonder if Videl wants me to hit it hard though... She really doesn't want to lose, and I don't want her to lose either. Maybe I should bunt it?_

Meanwhile, Sharpener was thinking up a plan of his own... _Okay. So he's got a good throw, so what! I'm going to make him cower like a sissy. That'll make Videl pick me over him for sure. Why did he have to have a knack for baseball?_

Sharpener wound up for the throw, and as he went to release the ball, he purposefully slipped on his aim a bit, making it look accidental. The ball's course was now directly at Gohan's face. That was a little more direct than Sharpener had planned for, but he'd for sure cower away from it now!

Gohan however was wondering why Sharpener had altered his aim, and was merely watching as the ball came directly at him. Had he been thinking about hiding his powers, he might've moved away, but by the time that thought flashed through his mind, the ball was already connecting with his cheek.

The entire class took part in a collective gasp. Most were waiting for Gohan to fall to the ground unconscious. Videl was glaring down Sharpener. Who was he to attack her team? Even if she despised that particular part of it... But Sharpener was thinking along entirely different lines.

"Why didn't he cower away like a sissy?" Sharpener's thoughts were said aloud, and then turned on Gohan. "Why didn't you cower away like the sissy you are?"

"Hey, um, coach," Gohan asked, surprising everyone-except for Lime and Goten of course. "If I get hit by the ball that means I walk right?"

The coach was too dumfounded to do anything more than nod. Goten cheered, and Gohan ran to the first base.

The game continued. Goten having more trouble at hiding his abilities than Gohan did. In the end, they just made sure to strike out any time they were at bat, and only had to worry about catching the ball way in the back two other times. Once, they let the ball go out, so they wouldn't have to face other accusative questions. In the end, Gohan had to worry more about protecting his powers, that they lost. But only by one run. Goten was tempted to get a home run every time he went up to bat, but Gohan's warnings kept him from doing so. Now, Gohan couldn't help but wish he'd let him just once...

_Dammit! Now I've got to go on a date with Sharpener! I'd do anything to get out of that... Maybe I could get the chief to call me out of it? But he'd just reschedule..._ Videl was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Sharpener come up behind her and wrap his arms around her.

"So, Friday night? Or do you still not want this?" He motioned to his body with his hands. His voice was enough to bring Videl out of her thoughts.

"Kami, Sharpener," Videl said. "You're so full of yourself. I thought you were going to pick someone else?" She couldn't help her hopefulness. _Maybe he'll get me out of it... Yeah right._

"I did have two names to choose from," he said with a sly smile. "Me..."

_I'll take anyone else I swear to Kami. _

"Or that Gohan kid."

_Dammit! Okay. Who do I hate more...? I should technically give Gohan a chance... But to go on a date with him? No. But it's Sharpener..._

Sharpener was very pleased with her debate. This was happening exactly how he thought it would. After a few more minutes, she would pick himself, and they would end up the most famous 'it' couple in Satan City.

"Gohan." Videl decided.

* * *

Meanwhile, Erasa was trying to get the dirt on the cute new kid. Lime and Goten were helping the coach collect the rogue balls and the bases.

"So, Gohan. Do you have a girlfriend?" She had been firing off seemingly random questions like this one for the past five minutes.

"No, Erasa, I don't have a girlfriend. Though I have a few friends that are female," he said as an afterthought, thinking of Bulma, 18 and Marron. They might get mad if he forgot about them.

"Oh," she said with a smile. "All right. What about Lime? She swears you're not, but you seem pretty close..." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"No, Lime and I are just friends. I saved her from drowning when we were eleven. So we kind of bonded with that experience," Gohan explained, sighing. Erasa was very persistent.

"All right Gohan, are you sure you're not the Golden Fighter from this morning?"

"I'm sure Erasa. I'm not blonde, and I'm not that strong or brave," he said. _Great. I'm making myself sound even lamer than I was before._

"But you've saved Lime, and the Gold Fighter saved the people of the city. I just thought maybe, since you're wearing the same clothes and everything. But I guess not," she shrugged, turning to the girl's change room. "But if you change your mind, and decide that you are him, my ears are always open." She winked at him before disappearing.

_Oh, great. I need to come up with a disguise or something. Erasa may seem ditsy, but she's good. I'll ask Bulma tonight. I'm sure she can come up with something..._

* * *

Sharpener was stunned. His brilliant plan backfired on him.

"Gohan? Did you just say Gohan?" He was too shocked to believe what he was hearing.

"Yes I did."

"B-but you hate Gohan!" Sharpener cried. _This so isn't fair!_

"I do," she said. "But I never really gave him a chance to redeem himself for what he said about my father. Besides, there's something more that meets the eye with that guy, and I'm going to find out what it is. Trust me. It isn't because I like him or anything. But I do think he's a heck of a lot cooler than you are."

_Besides, _she added to herself. _Mountain boy probably hasn't been on a date before in his life, so he won't be expecting too much. Which is exactly what he'll be getting. Nothing!_

"Now I've got to go find him, so I can tell him," Videl said. She wasn't very much looking forward to this. He'd probably turn her away, what with her being the daughter of a man he seems to despise and all. Maybe she should turn back and agree to go with Sharpener instead... No way. Sharpener would be a hundred times worse than Gohan... _I hope so anyway._

It didn't take her long to realize that Gohan- along with his little brother and Lime- had already left school property. She thought she might hop in her jet-copter and try and catch him, but she didn't know how far he'd gotten, or which route he'd taken heading home. He'd also said something at lunch about taking Lime out to West City to hang out with his little brother...

_I guess I'll wait until tomorrow. But I need to get this over with quickly. I don't want to, but it's best this way._

* * *

"Wee!" Goten shouted, as he clutched onto Gohan's shoulders. He'd convinced his brother that Gohan should fly them to Trunks' house, rather than the Nimbus cloud. Lime was cradled in his arms, and Goten was on his back. Gohan was having some trouble keeping his little brother from squirming, but it was his first time flying over West City. Usually Chi-Chi made them drive.

"Can you stop wiggling so much Squirt? It's hard to focus with you moving around up there," Gohan complained with a smile. He remembered flying with his dad. It was definitely fun.

"Isn't it exciting?" Lime asked Goten who was shouting out with glee yet again.

"Yup," Goten agreed. "Gohan, when can you teach me...?"

"I don't know yet Squirt. You're going to have to spar with me when we get to Bulma's 'kay?" Gohan said laughing at his brother's eagerness.

"Okay," Goten said smiling a goofy grin.

"B-Bulma? As in Bulma Briefs of Capsule Corp.?" Lime asked surprised.

"Yeah," Gohan said. "Where did you think we were going? Trunks is her son, didn't you know?"

"No, I didn't," she said in awe. She was going to meet Bulma Briefs. Not even Videl had done that yet. And Videl- being a celebrity's daughter- had met a lot of very famous people. Mostly fighters, though she had met everyone on the Titan's baseball team, except for their star hitter, Yamcha. But he was very selective in who he'd meet up with.

"I can't believe it. Bulma Briefs... Wait! If Bulma is Trunks' mother, and that Prince-of-all-Saiyans guy is his father... Are we going to run into him while we're there? He's terrifying," Lime whispered, frightened.

"He might be to you, but don't ever tell him that. It would just stroke his ego," Gohan said trying to lighten the mood. "We're here." He began his descent, and carefully put Lime back on her feet. "Well, the door's this way."

* * *

"Gohan! What are you doing here?" Bulma called out happily upon seeing them enter. "You hardly ever visit me anymore."

"Well, you know between training and mom's study schedule, I don't have all that much free time. Hopefully now that she's got me in High School, that'll change," Gohan said. He noticed that Lime was half hiding behind him. "Bulma, I'd like you to meet my friend Lime, I met her before the Cell Games seven years ago. Lime, this is Bulma." He pulled her out from behind him, and gave her a little push in Bulma's direction.

"It's nice to meet you, Lime. Gohan's never introduced me to one of his friends before," Bulma said with a sly smile. "Are you just a friend?"

"Oh yes, just a friend. He saved me from drowning is all. He's more like a big, strong brother to me than anything," Lime said quickly, her eyes darting to each of the doors in view.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," Bulma laughed, assuming that was why she was looking towards every exit. "It's in my job description to poke fun at Gohan every chance I get."

"It's alright," Lime said smiling at Bulma, only holding her eye for a few seconds, before inching closer to Gohan again. Bulma looked at her curiously.

"She's scared of Mister Vegeta, Ma'am," Goten said helpfully. "He came to class today, with me, and he scared everybody. Everybody 'cept me, Gohan and a really nice girl named Videl. Everybody else was shaking. He lifted up the teacher and-"

"That's enough of that boy." Vegeta's voice called from behind them all. Lime nearly hit the roof, she jumped so high. It took her only a second to get behind Gohan yet again.

"What exactly did you do, Ve-ge-ta?" Bulma asked, her temper flaring. "I told you not to go around terrorizing people. And you went and attacked Gohan's class? He's probably trying to seem human, and you could have just ruined that for him!"

"Why would anyone send him to _school_ with all of those pathetic weaklings?"

"Maybe his mother was hoping to get some _grandchildren_ out of it! I don't know. But you WILL NOT go back to that school. Do you hear me?" Bulma said emphasizing each word so he'd understand that she wouldn't tolerate it.

"Whatever woman. As long as he doesn't send the younger brat to disturb my training again, you'll have nothing to worry about," Vegeta said shooting a glare at Goten, before leaving the room. Goten gulped, and then as if nothing had happened, had that goofy smile of his back.

"Gohan," Lime whispered. "Does Bulma know about Videl?"

"What do you mean?" Gohan whispered back, confused.

"The mystery girl, I mean?"

"Yeah," Gohan admitted.

"Good!" Lime said, feeling safe enough now to walk over to Bulma again. If she could get rid of that terrifying man with just a few words, than it might be safer to be around her than Gohan anyway. "Bulma, guess what! Gohan met his mystery girl again today!"

"No way! She goes to your high school?" Bulma asked, suddenly giddy with excitement.

"One better than that Miss, I share a house with her during the week," Lime said. "I can make sure they spend a whole lot of time together."

"That's perfect. So what's her name?" Bulma asked, turning to Gohan. "Is she as pretty as before? Oh no, she's probably gorgeous now. And is she nice? Does she like you?"

"No, she absolutely hates me...unfortunately. And she's anything but nice to me. Well to anybody really. She's only nice to Lime and Erasa... And the police force," Gohan admitted.

"She's stunning though," Lime volunteered for him.

"Yes, but only when she's not scowling. She's a completely different person when she's scowling. Almost worse than Vegeta," Gohan countered.

"Fine then," Lime said admitting defeat. "Her name is Videl Satan though. Which is really hilariously ironic, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I know! It's kind of funny but really sweet at the same time. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet, only slightly different," Bulma squealed.

"Bulma!" Gohan and Goten shouted simultaneously. Even in the distance, Vegeta's curses could be heard over the high pitched noise.

"I'm so sorry, boys," Bulma whispered, realizing her fault. Trunks came running in just then.

"What's wrong mom? Why are you screaming?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart," Bulma said laughing. "You can go back to playing now. Goten, why don't you go with him?" Goten nodded and the two boys disappeared quickly.

"Okay, Gohan. I hardly believe that this is what you came here to talk to me about. So, what's up kiddo?" Bulma asked turning businesslike once the kids were gone.

"Right," Gohan said. "I need a way to disguise myself while I fight crime. Erasa is already suspicious of me, even though she's not all that smart. Videl hates me already, and I don't want her to connect me to the guy who's taking over her job, because she'll hate me more if she does. And Sharpener can't know how powerful I really am. He's already furious I was able to launch Goten in the air, and throw the ball really fast, I don't want him to hate me any more than he already does. Plus, it would be terrible for my family if anybody untrustworthy found out."

"You just need a quick change so you can play super hero?" Bulma scoffed. "Well the easiest solution would just to stop trying to save the world, but I guess playing hero is too much in your blood. So I'll have to make you a watch or something. It shouldn't take too long. Any preferences clothing-wise?"

"No, whatever you get is fine with me," Gohan said.

"If I may make a suggestion?" Lime asked timidly.

"Sure, shoot," Bulma said looking for ideas.

"Everybody already assumes that the Gold Fighter is the kid from the Cell Games. What did they call you... Oh yeah, the 'Delivery Boy'. I think you should just get him in an outfit similar to the one he wore at the Cell Games, so that he can confirm an identity. And then he just needs to come up with a name for himself, so then people will stop asking so many questions about the two," Lime said.

"Ahh... Just cancel the two out by creating an alternate identity," Bulma smiled. "I like it. Piccolo just wears a deep purple gi with a blue belt right? I'm not going to find a turban or cape like his, so don't press your luck. But you'll need a mask or something, so there'll be no chance in someone recognizing you..." Bulma's voice faded as she walked down the hallway, headed towards her lab.

"So," Lime said, pulling Gohan's attention back to the room.

"Yeah?"

"What's your name going to be? It can't be the 'Delivery Boy' or the 'Gold Fighter'... What'll it be my half-Saiyan friend?" Lime said smiling widely at him.

_Half-Saiyan... Saiyan and human... Saiyauman? Humaiyan? Saiya- Saiya...man. Saiyaman?_

"Saiyaman."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/A: **Okay. I know it's been an incredibly long time since I've updated this story. And I don't really have all that great of an excuse. But I'm celebrating in my head here, because this is the first time I've ever been able to bring myself to write a complete fifth chapter in anything. And, as an aspiring writer, I must say that is a great accomplishment to me, as I can finally get writing on my original stories—they've all been stuck somewhere during the fifth chapter.

Anyway, I hope that you all like this chapter, and I'll stop talking incessantly, since most of you probably aren't reading this anyway. I would like you to kindly leave a review, maybe say what _you_ think is going to happen later. I always like to hear what people's guesses are. A lot of the time, they can be pretty far off, but on the off chance they guess right, I get a kick out of it!

Without further ado, I give you chapter 5!

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Five**_:

Two hours later, Gohan found himself in possession of a one-of-a-kind watch that would swap his everyday clothing with his 'Delivery Boy' outfit, with just the press of a button. The only difference between this new outfit, and the one he had during the Cell Games, was that Gohan now had a mask that covered much of the top part of his face. It was like a strip of cloth that wrapped around his face, and tied in the back. It didn't cover much, but it made it more difficult to tell who he was. Especially when he was in Super Saiyan mode.

Bulma made him model the outfit for her and Lime, before calling in the boys. If it was approved by them, he was free to go. After all, a superhero's biggest fans are little boys.

Goten thought that Gohan was 'the coolest big brother in the entire world, it almost isn't fair for all of the other big brothers, because he's so cool!' Trunks on the otherhand, found it to be acceptable, but not nearly as cool as his dad's Saiyan battle armour. But Bulma deemed that good enough for a pass and let them go.

Gohan sent Goten home with the Nimbus cloud, while scooping Lime into his arms, and headed out to Satan City.

"Bulma's really nice," Lime commented.

"She is. Sometimes anyway," Gohan said with a light laugh. "So, where are you staying?"

"With Hercule and Videl, I thought I told you that already," Lime answered.

"You did, but you still haven't told me where that is," Gohan said with a smirk, before flying upside down, in a loop.

"Gohan!" Lime screeched, clinging onto his shoulders for dear life. "It's over there! Over there!"

"Thank you," he said, levelling out into a smooth flight once again.

"You're welcome, just never do that again," Lime said laughing.

It wasn't long before a large mansion came into view. Gohan laughed humourlessly to himself. Of course Mr. Satan would take his credit, and use the profits granted, to buy a house larger than any two people could use. Videl and Hercule couldn't possibly need all of that space. But he supposed that if they were willingly housing Lime, than he needed to give Hercule a little more credit. Even if most of the credit was undeserved.

"Gohan, you should probably land now," Lime said, breaking into his thoughts. "Most people aren't accustomed to flying people. It might end up in the tabloids, and I know you are trying to keep a low profile."

"I could switch into _Saiyaman_ you know. I kind of want everyone to know who he is."

"Yes, but Videl will still be suspicious if _Saiyaman_ is flying _me_ around town. Erasa and Sharpener would too," Lime pointed out.

"Fine, we'll walk from here," Gohan sighed. Flying was much faster than walking, and if he didn't hurry, he'd be late for dinner. Not wanting to be punished, he was going to have to make this a quick walk.

"Honestly Gohan, it's just two blocks," Lime chuckled.

"I know," he muttered.

The two walked unnoticed down the uncharacteristically busy streets at the fringe of Satan City. Before, while the town was still referred to as Orange Star, these particular streets would have been baron, uninhabited. But now that the 'World Champ' had made his home there, these streets were always bustling with people. All of them trying desperately catch a glimpse of the man that saved not only their lives, but the entire world as well. News crews practically camped out in front of his elaborate mansion, while the paparazzi frantically tried to clamber over the ten foot rout-iron gate, only to be dragged away by a security guard, or an occasional member of the police squad.

Everyone wanted to feel as though they were close to their hero. Many even went the extra mile, bringing gifts and praise for the undeserving man. He didn't even have the decency to come out and greet these thoughtful few, and had sent out an unfeeling, emotionless, brick-wall of a security guard to collect for him. The man didn't even mutter a simple 'thank you.' He just took the presented gift and turned his back on the thoughtful citizen.

The clincher was that the citizens were never fazed by this rude behaviour. They had stars in their eyes, as they watched until the man had disappeared completely, simply ecstatic that the Champ would soon be in possession of what they so graciously presented for him.

Gohan sighed. Hercule should be presenting them with gifts. He sure had enough money to do so. A lot of unearned money, but it was still money nonetheless. Gohan guessed that Hercule was having a hard time keeping up the lie, and had finally retreated. Let the hype die down.

He chuckled to himself. _Who am I kidding? Hercule is going to milk this for all it's worth...and then find a way to get even more out of it._

"Great," Lime sighed. "I forgot about _them_."

"I told you, we should have flown," Gohan pointed out with a small smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a genius or something," Lime said teasingly. "I just have to shove my way in. For some reason, they like snapping pictures of me just as much as Videl. I guess they think Mr. Satan adopted me or something equally as stupid."

"I can help with the pushing part," Gohan said with a gleam in his eye. He cleared his throat, before shouting in a loud—yet rather polite—voice. "Step aside citizens, Miss Lime needs to get into her residence."

The chattering stopped immediately. Every pair of eyes pried itself off of the gaudy mansion, and turned to stare at Hercule's ward, and the loud boy with her.

And then, just as quickly as the quiet settled, contemplative murmuring took its place.

"Who is _he_?"

"Hercule's ward has a boyfriend?"

"This is front page stuff!"

"I gotta call this in. We've got to get the first coverage on it."

"Well," Lime said, snickering at some of the more outlandish claims a few tabloid writers were making. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, on the front page," Gohan said in shock. "Why do they make assumptions like that?"

"It's their job. They are in charge of anything Hercule. And that includes both me and _Videl_. So, you know, you should get used to the spot light, Mr Smitten," Lime teased, before weaving her way through the crowd, to the security guard in charge of the gate. He opened it just enough to allow her to pass through it, but shut it immediately after she was through. Even though it was only open for a few seconds, many of the reporters tried to push through, only to be shoved back with looked of utter disappointment.

"Bye," Lime shouted above the murmur of the crowd. She was careful not to disclose his name. He worked hard to not be recognized by the press after the Cell Games. She wasn't about to blow that for a simple tabloid rumour.

"Yeah, I'll fly you to school, so be ready early," Gohan called back, much to the excitement of the reporters. They were absolutely sure this was gold. Gohan sighed, and turned to leave, only to be bombarded with questions.

"How long have you and Miss Lime been a couple?"

"When did you meet?"

"Is this a serious romance, or a school fling?"

"What's your name?"

"You go to Orange Star High, right?"

"Er—yes, I do," Gohan answered the last reporter. "I met Lime seven years ago...but I swear we're not dating."

"That's what they all say, buddy."

"Now, I didn't quite catch your name..."

"I didn't tell you," Gohan said smoothly, slowly removing himself from the centre of reporters. Once he made it to out of the circle, he high-tailed it out of there. But not before calling over his shoulder to the bewildered reporters. "Bye!"

_That was strange,_ Gohan thought as he ducked into an alleyway. _But, I'll have to be used to this. For Videl. You know, if I ever get her to want to go out with me...no, _when_ I get her to go out with me. Be positive._

* * *

Videl had been in her training room, beating a punching bag, and trying to improve her stamina, and was just wrapping it up, when Lime barged through the front door, slamming it behind her quickly, as though she was being chased. The poor girl was huffing and puffing, struggling to catch her breath.

"What happened to you?"

Lime looked up in shock. Videl was almost never home. She was always out on the town, having fun...well, doing what Videl classified as fun anyway. Lime didn't really see the appeal of beating the tar out of all of Satan City's would-be criminals. But it made Videl happy.

"Paparazzi," Lime gasped, standing up straight. She was rather embarrassed, having been caught panting. The path from the gateway wasn't really all that long. Yet she was completely beat. Gym class and being terrified of Vegeta had taken a lot out of her. And she was still a little wobbly, not used to walking after Gohan had flown her around. The feeling of weightlessness had knocked her off balance.

"They were chasing you?" Videl asked incredulously. They hardly ever ambushed the gates without some superficial reason.

"Yeah," Lime sighed. "Apparently I'm going to be on the front page tomorrow."

"What did you do? Scrape your knee? Stub your toe?" Videl laughed. "They'll honestly make a story about anything these days. And the people just gobble it up too."

"Yeah, that's true," Lime said laughing along with her 'friend.' "But I didn't hurt myself. Gohan just dropped me off after coming from West City, and they swarmed like bees."

"You should know to never bring a boy with you," Videl sighed. Of course, no one had ever had firsthand experience with this. The closest thing to having a boy over, was when Erasa dragged Sharpener with her when she came to pick Videl up for a torture trip—or shopping trip as Erasa insisted on calling it. The press had a field day with it, and Hercule had flipped his lid at the misconception. That was when he declared that any boy that even thought of dating his daughter had to first prove himself to be stronger than the world champ.

_Like that would ever happen..._

This train of thought, of course, brought back the thoughts she'd been trying to forget. The ones she was beating the punching bag to rid herself of them.

"You know, Lime, I actually have a question for you," Videl said timidly.

Lime was taken aback by Videl's new attitude. She was always spunky, full of spirit. This fear was so unlike her; it was almost unsettling.

"Anything," Lime found herself saying. Anything to comfort the obviously uncomfortable crime fighter.

"I need some advice, concerning Gohan."

* * *

Gohan had pressed the button on his new watch, transforming himself into _Saiyaman. _With a quick raise in power, he shifted into Super Saiyan, completing his transformation.

_If I want _Saiyaman_ to get noticed, might as well do a quick sweep. I don't want to be too long though. I can't be late for dinner..._

He raised himself off the ground, and headed slowly towards the centre of the city. All seemed to be well. And though that was a good thing...he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He really wanted to get all that confusion over the Delivery Boy and the Golden Fighter out of the way, so he could focus on just being a normal kid for once...and also focus on getting Videl to give him a second chance.

If he could just get that, he was sure she would like him. He couldn't mess up again, not now that he knew who she was.

He would be extra careful.

His thoughts were interrupted by the squeal of car tires. His instincts kicked in, and he narrowed his sights in on the offending car. The high frequency made him want to cover his ears. What he saw though, both frustrated and thrilled him at once.

A rogue driver.

A smile spread across his face, and he darted toward the road. The car swerved, and weaved its way around traffic, as it headed the wrong way down the one-way street. The other vehicles crashed into trashcans and mailboxes as they tried to get away from the rampaging car. There were a few screams that found their way to the poor half-Saiyan's ears.

The rogue car only came to a screeching halt, when glowing man descended from the sky, only a short distance ahead of them. Afraid of killing a reckless teenager on their careless rampage, the driver slammed his foot onto the brake pedal. The car managed to come to a complete stop, only inches away from the mysteriously glowing teen.

"Hey, watch where you're walkin' buddy. You could get hurt!"

"You should take more care when driving, sir," Gohan said in a calm, collected—though disguised—voice. "Mind the laws and signs, and wear your safety belt. You never know when it will come in handy."

"Would ya listen to that; the kid thinks he's a super hero," the driver laughed to his passenger.

"Yeah, what a laugh. Why don't you go on home to your mommy, kid? Leave the police work to those bums Satan City calls the police force," the passenger snickered.

"Those 'bums' are trained professionals," Gohan said with a smirk. "And are in high demand."

"Well, wouldn't ya know it, the kid thinks he's smart."

"Who are you punk?"

"I'm Saiyaman, maybe you've heard of me?"

"Saiyaman?" The two men burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"I think I'd remember a name as dumb as that."

"I put a lot of thought into that name," Gohan said, narrowing his eyes into a glare. "But you may know me by a different name. The 'Golden Fighter' perhaps?"

"That guy that used the tricks to save those police bums this morning?"

"Yes," Gohan said smirking, when the passenger's knees started to tremble. The driver, however, looked mostly unfazed. "Or maybe the 'Delivery Boy?'"

Now, the driver was inching back, toward the car. He knew who this was. It was the kid who was able to hold off Cell while the Champ recovered from his stomach ache. This was definitely not someone you want to be dealing with. And you especially didn't want to end up in his bad graces. Not for something as stupid as careless driving.

"We'll be going now," the driver said, shaking his passenger out of his frightened state.

"Following all of the laws?" Gohan asked with a devilish smirk.

"Absolutely. I don't know what we were thinking before, driving so recklessly. We'll be better from now on, I promise," the driver stammered.

"Good," Gohan said. "Just remember, Saiyaman will be watching."

"Yes, of course!"

The two slipped into the vehicle, and drove off, much slower than before, and headed the correct direction on the one-way street.

Gohan smiled to himself. He managed to be Super Saiyan without losing his temper, or his stoic, slightly frightening demeanour. He created a personality that was different from his own. _Saiyaman_ was confident, whereas Gohan was nervous. _Saiyaman_ was brave, fearless, and could openly fight on the side of good. Gohan however, had to keep his Saiyan heritage hidden, and therefore came across as a slightly naive nerd.

There was the tell-tale chattering of eye-witnesses. They were astounded. An elderly lady was pulling out her camera, wanting to document this occasion. There was a new hero in Satan City—and this one had all the powers of a comic book super hero. Once her camera had flashed, the handful of other witnesses came out of their shock. Pulling out cell phones, and snapping a few pictures of their own, before calling in to one of the news stations.

"He said he's called 'the singing-man.'"

"He's the same one as this morning. The Golden Fighter."

"It's that little kid from the Cell Games!"

"The singing-man, I swear that's what he said."

Gohan's brows furrowed. _The Singing-man?_ Honestly, he knew that Saiyan was a foreign term, and that few people would recognize it. But to incorrectly label him something even worse than the Golden Fighter or the Delivery Boy...come on.

He calmly strode over to the man insisting upon the incorrect name. The man didn't even notice his presence, still shouting into his phone.

"I don't care how stupid you think it is, that's what he called himself!"

"Saiyaman," Gohan clarified.

"Excuse me; don't you see I'm on the phone? I'm talking to the biggest newspaper in the city, here," the man said rudely, not even looking at Gohan.

Gohan cocked his head in confusion. Wasn't he talking about him? Gohan figured he'd be scared, or awe-struck or something—maybe even grateful—but not ignoring him.

"Sir, my name is _Saiyaman_," Gohan repeated, trying not to express his growing frustration.

"Just wait five minutes buddy," the man said, dismissing him once again. "Yes, I swear to Kami that it was the singing-man. I'd bet my life on it."

"Then you must not think much of your own life," Gohan commented, "Since you repeatedly call me _The Singing-Man_ even though I've told you twice now that it is _Saiyaman_."

"Just a minute," the man murmured into his phone. He turned to face Gohan, set on saying some other rude comment, but visibly paled. There he was, the mysterious new crime fighter, talking to him, as if he were _somebody_. And to make matters worse, he'd been ignoring him, and acting downright rude.

"I apologize, Mr. Singing-man, I didn't mean to dismiss you so blatantly," the man said, nearly shaking in his boots.

"It's _Saiyaman_," Gohan nearly growled. His patience was wearing thin. He didn't have time for this. He had to get home so he didn't get beat with a frying pan for being late. Plus, food was sounding pretty good right now...

"Oh, yes, of course, Mr. _Saiyaman_, sir," the man said.

"All right," Gohan said, pleased with the situation at last. "I'll be going then."

He lifted himself off the ground, and flew off toward his home. This, of course, caused another wave of chatter. Everyone wondered just how he was able to do that.

* * *

"What kind of advice could you need?"

"Um...well...the bet with Sharpener...I lost. I had to chose between a date with Sharpener, and a date with...well...with Gohan. So, I need advice," Videl said, trying her hardest to act nonchalant about the whole situation.

"Okay, let's take this one question at a time," Lime said hiding her smile. It looked as though Gohan was going to get his second chance sooner than he could have hoped for. "I take it that you chose Gohan, not Sharpener."

"Of course," Videl said snorting. "Gohan deserved a chance to redeem himself. Sharpener is an idiot to have even given me an option. I would have taken anyone else. I mean, it's not like I _want_ to go on a date with Gohan."

"Of course not," Lime said, masking her disappointment. She'd hoped that Videl would at least be curious about the mysterious boy...but she apparently wanted nothing to do with him. _That's strange...she doesn't particularly care for her father's fame, but she instantly hated the one boy who would look at her for who _she_ is, not who her father is..._

"So, how do I go about asking him? I mean, he probably hates me just as much I hate him, so how do I make him say yes?"

"Just ask him," Lime said honestly. "He'll probably say yes. You just might have to explain what a date is...I'm sure his mother taught him, but I don't know. He said his father was pretty dense...and they both grew up isolated from society."

"Great. So, I have to embarrass myself even further, by explaining what it is that I want him to do?" Videl said sighing. "Just great."

"B-but, he won't know what typical behaviour is on dates either, so he possibly won't try to pull anything romantic," Lime reasoned. Videl might just try to get out of this date, and Lime wasn't about to let that happen.

"You're right. I won't even have to kiss him..." Videl trailed off with a smirk on her face. "I might be able to tolerate this."

"Now all you have to do is ask him," Lime said brightly.

"Yeah, and convince my dad that I'm hanging out at Erasa's for the duration of the date, of course," Videl said sighing.

"You mean he's serious about that whole 'No-one-can-date-my-daughter-unless-he-can-defeat-me' thing? I thought it was a joke," Lime said aghast.

"He's serious alright. I can't date anyone that he doesn't approve of. And with my luck, he'll find out about this, and then he'll track Gohan down, and promptly kill him," Videl said, sighing at her father's dramatic outbursts.

"Oh, Gohan will be fine," Lime said reassuringly. "He's a big boy; he can look after himself."

"Lime, I know I don't like him and all, but how could I live with myself if I send the strongest man in the world on a warpath, with Gohan as the target? It wouldn't be fair. Gohan's just a normal kid. I mean, I could probably hold my dad off for a few minutes, but then even _I'd_ be overpowered by him. How can I do that to Gohan?"

"Videl, Gohan lives in a dinosaur infested wilderness," Lime said chuckling. "I'm sure he knows how to fend off a mad man. And at the very least, with a backyard as big as his, Hercule with have a tough time finding him."

"Fine," Videl said, disappointed that Lime was able to eliminate her only—though admittedly feeble—excuse of getting out of doing this.

"So, here's his number..." Lime said, scribbling a phone number down on a scrap piece of paper. "Just call him after dinner. He should be home by then."

"Thanks," Videl muttered sarcastically. Lime had pretty much backed her into a corner.

"You're welcome," Lime said eyes sparkling mischievously.

_You're welcome too, Gohan..._

* * *

Gohan flew over the landscape, too fast to take in the beauty nature offered. He was pushing himself as far as he could, trying with all his might to make it home before his mother declared him late for dinner.

_There it is!_ Gohan exclaimed.

He spotted his house, only a little longer. 20 seconds at the most.

_Almost there!_

"Gohan!"

"Hey Goten, did you have fun while I was gone?"

"No," Goten grumbled.

"What happened?"

"He skipped out on his studies by gallivanting off, becoming a delinquent, that's what," Chi-Chi said, growling at her eldest son. "And it's entirely your fault!"

"How is it my fault? I told him to wait a few hours before leaving," Gohan said, defending himself.

"Goten," Chi-Chi said, turning her glare to the young boy. "_You_ told me he invited you to school, and had to leave immediately."

"I didn't want to study all of those numbers," Goten said grumpily, slouching into his chair.

"You'll be doing twice as much work tomorrow, young man," Chi-Chi declared.

"B-but! You made me finish it all when I got home!" Goten protested. "How come I hafta do more?"

"Because you lied to me," Chi-Chi said calmly. Now that the punishment was doled out, she could set the table for dinner. "Go wash up, boys."

"Yes, mom," both boys said. And they promptly ran to the bathroom to obey her orders. Goten had already gotten one punishment, he didn't want another one. Gohan was lucky...he got to go to school all day, and play games even. Goten had to stay with his mother...and she could be really mean. But, she did teach him some fighting skills, so she wasn't too bad...

Dinner passed by uneventfully. It wasn't until the small family was clearing the table that their phone rang. Gohan excused himself, to answer it.

"Hello, this is the Son residence. This is Gohan speaking," he said politely.

"..."

No one answered him.

He heard a startled gasp, before the person clattered the phone down onto the receiver.

"That was weird..."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/A: **So, I've decided that I'll never make you wait so long again for another chapter...with that said, I must admit that I don't particularly care for this upcoming one...but I realized that I needed some time to pass before the plot kind of took off, so I needed to add this as a transitional chapter, so I hope _you_ like it better than I do.

Also, after my long hiatus, I took the time to re-read my story...and found multiple spelling mistakes and little things like that...so, I'm going to re-upload them. Nothing too big is changing, the story is still the same. So, don't feel obliged to read it. I just wanted to let everyone know.

I have to say thank you to all of you that reviewed (or even just read, though reviews are really nice!) my latest chapter. It's been a real kick-starter for me. I didn't realize how many people actually read/liked my story. So a great big thank you to all of you.

I won't hold you up any longer, so I give you chapter 6:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Six**_:

Over the course of the following week, Gohan received three more of these mysterious phone calls. Each time he picked up the phone. And each time, he would hear only the quietest of breaths, before the person on the other end would hang up abruptly.

It was really starting to peak his interest. How often could someone call the wrong number?

The press had had a field day—just as predicted—with their 'breakthrough' with Lime and Gohan's secret affair. But luckily, that died down after only a day, when news of Saiyaman became the most sought after information since Hercule's great defeat of the monster Cell.

His attempts at getting Videl to like him—if even just a little—weren't going very well. She would hardly look at him. And the off time she actually did look at him, it was only to glare at him.

She didn't smile anymore. She was always careful to be mad when she was around Gohan. And he was finding it harder and harder to see the girl that had become his obsession over the past seven years. He was beginning to think that she had disappeared for good.

But there was a time or two, when she would look away from him, when their eyes met, and an inviting, warm red stained her ivory cheeks. Those moments—though few and very far between—gave him hope.

Lime had been patient, waiting endlessly for Videl to gather up the courage to ask Gohan on their date. When Videl told her she'd called the night before, she'd been ecstatic.

_Finally, Gohan can get his chance!_

It was in this frame of mind that Lime walked up to Gohan on the last day of classes, before the weekend came.

"So, Gohan," Lime said suggestively. "When's the big day?"

"Big day?" Gohan asked confused by Lime's excitement.

"Yeah, you know, with Videl," Lime said winking at him. "Aren't you excited?"

"Excited for what?" Gohan asked, more confused now than before.

"Come on," she scoffed. "No need to be shy; I already know all about it."

"All about what?" Gohan cried. "Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about. And it's kind of starting to annoy me."

"You mean Videl didn't call you?" Lime asked, taking her turn being confused.

"No," Gohan said as if it were obvious. "In case you didn't realize, she hates me. Why would she call me?"

"Never mind," Lime said, nonchalantly. "I've got to talk to Videl."

"Alright, let me know what you're talking about when you're done," Gohan said, stuffing his books into his locker.

* * *

"Videl," Lime said sternly, walking up to said girl with a determined look on her face. "You, are a liar. You didn't call him!"

"I did so," Videl said defensively.

"I just asked him about it, and he said he never spoke with you," Lime countered.

"I called. I swear I did. I just hung up before I said anything," Videl said, defending herself. If there was one thing she was not, it was a liar.

"Oh, Videl," Lime said, sighing in disappointment. "Just talk to him. Okay? He needs to know about this. You don't want to go to Sharpener, and have to admit that you couldn't pull through with the bet...do you?"

"Never," Videl said, shivering at the thought. "I _will_ ask him out. But Sharpener didn't give me a time limit, so I can wait as long as I want."

"No," Lime said firmly. "You will do this sooner, rather than later. He deserves this second chance, Videl. And you are _going_ to give it to him. The longer you wait, the less of a chance you have of him saying yes."

"What do you mean?" Videl asked, shocked by Lime's outburst. She was usually such a gentle and calm girl. For her to be this upset... "I thought you said that he would say yes without hesitation. Why would he change his mind?"

"Maybe, because he got tired of _trying_ to get to know you, only to have you throw every attempt out the window? Or maybe he'll have other girls asking him out. He might say yes to one of them too. He is an attractive man after all. And he can't wait forever," Lime said, her voice softening as she finished. _Poor Gohan. He's trying so hard, and she won't even give him an inch..._

"Fine," Videl said, watching as Lime's face saddened. "If you care so much about this, I'll do it. For you. Not for Sharpener, not for Gohan, and certainly not for me. How should I do this?"

A bright smile spread its way onto Lime's face. "Really?"

"Yes," Videl said. It was on her honour to do it anyway. There was no way she'd go crawling to Sharpener and beg him to forget about their bet.

* * *

Gohan noticed that Sharpener had been glaring at him since his first day, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. He wasn't going to ask him about it, since he didn't really care. Sharpener's glare was like a fluffy kitten compared to Videl's or Vegeta's. But, he couldn't restrain some rather violent images from flitting across his mind; the closer the week came to its end, the more frequent these visions became. He was seriously contemplating backhanding him, just to make him leave him alone.

It's hard to be yourself when everyone wants to glare at you all the time.

Well, Erasa didn't glare at him. No. She spent all of her time trying to convince Gohan he was the Gold Fighter—or Saiyaman as he was now known. Of course, Gohan and Saiyaman were one and the same...but he didn't want anyone to know that...least of all Erasa.

His super hero front was going quite well. He hadn't had many appearances. Just four so far this week, but the people of Satan City were really starting to warm up to him. At first there was a lot of controversy. No one wanted some masked, glowing man to replace the daughter of the 'Great' Hercule. But he proved to them he didn't want to take her place...just to help her. He only appeared when Videl was having great difficulties. Or when Videl could not get there fast enough. Even though Videl couldn't seem to stand being near him—as Gohan or Saiyaman—he wanted to be sure that she was safe.

And it did bother Videl something terrible to have him there. At first, she thought it was just a fluke. Someone had stepped up to save the city when she wasn't able to get there herself. But when he started appearing in what appeared to be a uniform of some sort...she knew he was here to stay.

So she worked extra hard to make sure he wasn't needed.

"Good morning, Gohan," Videl said, snapping Gohan out of his thoughts.

_Is she talking to me?_

"Gohan? Are you in there?" she asked, looking annoyed.

"Me? I thought you hated me," Gohan said, trying to mask his surprise, but failing.

_She is talking to me!_

"Yes you," Videl said, almost amused. "I have to ask you something."

"Go ahead," Gohan said as calmly as he could.

_You can ask me anything..._

"Now, don't let this go to your head..." she started. She took a deep, calming breath, before she forced herself to continue. "But, it has come to my attention that I haven't been completely fair to you. And you deserve a second chance."

_Did she just say what I think she said?_

"Did you say I get another chance?" he asked, just to clarify.

"Yes," Videl said. She had to force herself to stay seated beside him. She wanted more than anything to stand up and walk away. But that would be an act of cowardice. She couldn't let Sharpener win. And she especially couldn't show Gohan any signs of weakness.

_She did just say that!_

"So...are you doing anything tonight?"

Gohan's breath caught in his throat. He could do little more than shake his head.

"Good," Videl said, pleased that she'd gotten the words out.

"Why?"

"We're going on a date...that's why."

_I got a date?_

_I got a date!_

_Wait until mom finds out..._

_Oh, Kami! What'll I do if mom finds out?_

"Well..." Videl asked, quite timidly. She wasn't sure if that was a yes or a no. Not that she really cared, but she needed him to say yes anyway.

"Okay," Gohan managed. He somehow kept a stoic, calm demeanour...but on the inside, he was soaring.

"Okay, then," Videl said, also staying rather calm about the whole thing. _That wasn't so bad...but I still hate him..._

Gohan sat with Videl in silence. It was all he could do to keep the grin he so desperately wanted to wear off of his face. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the class took a break for lunch.

* * *

"Oh and why are we all grins today?" Lime asked when she saw Gohan's cheeky grin. It was incredibly wide, and he was practically shaking in excitement.

"_I_ have a date," Gohan said trying—and failing—to lessen his smile.

"Do you?" Lime asked in mock shock. "I never would have guessed."

"Is this what you were talking about?" Gohan asked suddenly.

"Maybe..." Lime said hesitantly, noting how his smile melted off his face.

"You could have told me," he said sternly.

"But I wanted you to be surprised. Besides, Videl needed to ask you, it came with the territory," Lime said softly. "I think you should know—"

"What do you mean 'with the territory'?" Gohan asked, not liking the way it sounded.

_Please don't mean what I think it means..._

"Do you remember the first baseball game? The one that Goten played in...and when Videl lost? Well, there was this bet..." Lime said, trailing off as she watched her friends face fall. His shoulders slumped.

_Damn. It meant what I thought it meant. Stupid Gohan...don't ever get your hopes up when it comes to Videl again. I don't even know how you could have been this stupid in the first place..._

"Gohan...?" Lime said quietly. "If it makes you feel better, she _chose_ you...even if it was only between you and Sharpener...she picked _you_."

"But its Sharpener," Gohan sighed. "I think she would have picked anybody over Sharpener."

"Don't tell her I told you," Lime said. "I don't know if she wanted you to find out. I just thought you would want to know..."

"I do. If this wasn't a real date...I'm glad you told me," Gohan murmured, wrapping her in his arms. She felt terrible. Gohan hadn't been as happy as he was just then...and she had to ruin it. Guilt was a sour taste in her mouth, and she didn't like it one bit.

"I'm sorry. I tried to get her to give you a chance...but maybe this is a good thing?"

"How," Gohan said decrepitly.

"You're still getting your chance. You just have to prove that you're worth her time," Lime said, with a small smile. "You can do it. Just avoid all topics that have to do with her father."

"You know, I had it rehearsed. I was going to say that he was a hero..." Gohan said, laughing suddenly. "But it came out fake instead."

Lime started chuckling too. "Well, I'm glad to see you smiling again."

"Me too, Lime. Me too."

* * *

Sharpener had cornered Videl, just before she stepped into the lunch room. "Hello, babe, what's shaking?"

"My fist?" Videl said with a nasty glare.

"So, when's your big date with _Gohan_?" Sharpener sneered his rival's name, as though it were contagious.

"Tonight," Videl said, nonchalantly. She acted as though she didn't care. That was just how Videl was. But inside, she was nervous. This would be her first date...ever. And she was wasting it, giving a stupid boy a second chance that he didn't even deserve. Her immense dislike of Gohan was growing greater with each passing minute.

_If he so much as tries to kiss me, I'll knock him into next week._

* * *

The rest of their classes flew by, as Gohan and Videl's anxiousness grew. Gohan was petrified of making her hate him more than she already did...and Videl just didn't want him to try anything. At all.

Gohan wasn't sure of the details...but he was pretty sure most dates had more information involved than what Videl had given him. _Tonight_. That was pretty vague, which was why Gohan was waiting, leaning against the statue at the front of the school, for Videl to come out of the building.

_What could possibly be taking her? We didn't even have any homework for once..._

He closed his eyes, and tracked down her life force. She was coming towards the front doors. Gohan debated whether or not to go and offer his assistance, but ended up deciding against it. She wouldn't like that. She was so much like Vegeta now, it was almost scary. She would find his courteous offer to be a sign of weakness.

"Hey, Gohan," Videl called looking at him in amusement. "You do realize I said _tonight_, right? As in later..."

"Yes," Gohan said passively. "But _tonight _isn't a very good time frame. How am I supposed to know when to meet you? Or where to meet you? I live hours away, Videl. I can't just go home and meet you later...whenever that is."

"Fine, meet me at six, at the police station," Videl said, deciding on the spot.

"The police station?" Gohan murmured, wondering where that was.

_I'll just track her life force when the time comes... it'll be a lot easier._

"Yes," Videl said, tapping her foot in annoyance. She didn't want anyone to _know_ she was going on a date with this new kid. If someone found out, they'd tell their friends...and from there it would spread like wildfire, getting into the greedy grasps of the press...only to find its way onto her kitchen table, where her father would read about it...and promptly kill Gohan. So, in a way, it was being nice to him...not just protecting her reputation... Yeah, she'd go with that.

"Are we done now?"

"Yeah," Gohan sighed. "We're done."

He shrugged his shoulders, trying his hardest not to look too disappointed. He wanted to appear aloof; as though this date with her wasn't the most important thing to him currently. And he succeeded. She stared after him, her annoyance growing into anger.

_Am I not good enough for him? I'm the strongest female in the world...maybe. Why doesn't he care that I'm giving up my first date for him?_

She growled, and crossed her arms. Lime had made her promise to come straight home. She wasn't allowed any distractions.

_If Lime tries to force me into a skirt—or Kami forbid a dress—I'm calling him and cancelling this stupid thing._

* * *

Gohan walked carelessly, until he turned the corner. After that, he transformed himself into Saiyaman, and flew off in the direction of West City. If he had hours to kill, he wasn't going to walk around aimlessly.

And since Lime claimed she was busy helping Videl get ready for their date... he had to go for the next best thing:

Bulma

He was almost positive that her advice would help him get through this monumental occasion. But he needed to avoid both Vegeta and Trunks. He couldn't get all bloodied up before his big date. That would pose too many questions that he didn't particularly want to answer.

He walked through the halls of Capsule Corp silently, searching for Bulma.

_Found her._

She was in her lab—of course. He smirked when he saw that her back was facing the open doorway. He crept in; his footsteps still absolutely quiet. He didn't even breathe.

Once he was standing directly behind her—and after being sure she wasn't working with chemicals of course—he quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, shouting out a random syllable.

"Gyaa!"

"Ah!" she screamed. Gohan winced at the high pitched sound.

_I should have thought this through a little better..._

"Bulma, it's just me," Gohan said, trying to reassure her.

"Gohan? Gohan! What the hell were you thinking? I could have had a heart-attack," she yelled, clearly demonstrating her anger.

"I obviously wasn't thinking," he started. "I think my ears are bleeding."

"They better be," Bulma huffed, giving him one last glare.

"So, what brings you to my lab, kid?"

"I need some advice," he said slowly, nervously.

"I can do advice," she said, thankful that he wasn't demanding another training device like her husband was. "What's the topic?"

"Well," Gohan said, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "I have a date, you see...and I don't really know what you're supposed to do to prepare for one."

"Just dress nice," Bulma said. "Girls hate slobs. But don't dress too over the top either. You never want to out dress the girl. Hmm... What are you doing on this date?"

"I don't even know," Gohan said shrugging. "All I know is that I'm supposed to meet her at the police station at six o'clock."

"That's a little vague," Bulma mumbled disappointed. "What's this girl like? Is she kind, sweet, like Lime? Or is she that feisty, mystery girl?"

"The second one," Gohan said, rolling his eyes when Bulma squealed excitedly.

"I knew it!" Bulma cried, running to gather the tall half-Saiyan in a hug. She was so proud of him. He managed to get her over her immense dislike of him! How wonderful.

"Bulma," Gohan said, hushing her with his less-than-excited tone. "It's just a date. She still hates me. This is my second chance. I'd really like to _not_ screw this one up."

"Well, if you had gone and talked to her seven years ago, none of this would be happening now," Bulma muttered, as she brainstormed possible wardrobe choices.

"I'm sorry," Gohan said sarcastically. "I should have went and talked to her, instead of going to tell my pregnant mother that my father was killed and didn't want to come back."

"Gohan, that is not what I meant," Bulma said, looking at him with pity in her eyes.

"I know," he grumbled. "Can we just, plan?"

"Yeah," Bulma said with a small, timid smile. "Sure thing kiddo."

* * *

"Lime, what is all of this crap?"

"It's not crap. I'm trying to make you look like a girl that is on her very first date," Lime argued. She, of course, had never been on a date herself—what with no children to speak of in the village she grew up in—was making all of this up on the spot. She was just thrilled that Videl had come to her for assistance when she'd offered it. Lime thought for sure Videl would have scoffed in her face and said she wasn't needed.

_This might work. If Gohan can pull this off, Videl might actually like him. She looks so nervous! Oh, I can't wait to tell Gohan. But I should wait to make sure things go alright before I do... If things go terribly wrong...no, I can't think that way. Kami, please make sure he doesn't screw this up!_

"I don't want to look like that. I want to be able to run, and fight in what I'm wearing. I might get called away at any moment, so I have to be ready," Videl said. She scowled at the offending frilly skirts and sundresses, throwing them onto the floor in disgust.

"That's no fun," Lime said pouting. "I guess I can still pick out a pretty top—"

"Only if I can move," Videl interrupted.

"—So long as it doesn't restrict your movement," Lime finished, before laughing. "Oh, honestly Videl, don't you trust me?"

"Maybe," Videl said, looking at Lime warily. "I'm not sure at the moment."

"You have nothing to be worried about," Lime said giggling. "I know what Gohan's going to like."

"I don't care what he likes. I told you, this is strictly because of a bet," Videl growled.

"I know," Lime said with a small, tender smile. "But _I_ care. And I know that he likes that you're a fighter. He probably doesn't even know that yet."

"But _you_ do?" Videl asked sceptically.

"Of course I do," Lime said as though it were obvious. "I'm around him all the time."

"I don't want to impress him," Videl warned her.

_You don't even have to try_ Lime thought with a chuckle.

"I know you don't."

"So, it's agreed, I go in shorts and a t-shirt," Videl said happily.

"No," Lime said sternly. "You may wear shorts—black ones—if you must, but you will wear this shirt, not a t-shirt."

Lime held up an abstract, patterned top with a smile.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

Videl stole the shirt from Lime's hands, and stomped over to the shower. She muttered unintelligently, under her breath the entire way. She wasn't happy being told what to do. Lime was their guest. _She_ should be doing what the Satans said, not the other way around. Yet she had both of them right where she wanted them.

Lime only needed to bat an eye, and her father would come running, quick to give her anything she wanted. Videl suspected that this was because of the lineage that Lime was getting with the press. One bad word to them, and his entire career could be ruined. Whether he saved the world or not.

Videl on the other hand, viewed Lime as the sister she'd never had, and therefore, allowed her to get away with things that nobody else was even allowed to dream of.

And for that reason alone, she was allowing Lime to use her as her own, life-sized dress-up toy. But she couldn't help thinking:

_I'm really not liking where this is going..._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/A: **Alright, I just have to say—though it has absolutely nothing to do with the story per say—that I ate Vegeta last night…and he tasted quite a bit like chicken. You read that right. I found some spice mix called Vegeta in the store the other day, and just had to buy it, just for the sake of it. I mean it said 'Vegeta!' I just had to get it.

Anyway, on to the topic at hand. I had a pretty difficult time bringing myself to actually write this chapter, though I must say that I've developed a system that's working fairly well for now. I hope it will continue to work, because I want to finish this story soon—it still has a ways to go, but I hope to motor along quickly with the writing process. I have other ideas just begging to be brought out, but I can't yet. Not until I get this one down on paper. We've all seen what me plus more than one project equals…a long hiatus for this story. So, no more multitasking for me! :P

Now, before I get into another rant about how great Vegeta tasted, I shall give you chapter 7!

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Six**_:

To say Gohan was nervous would be an understatement. He managed to find the police station without having to follow her life energy. This was a good thing, since it meant he could be on time, instead of arriving after her.

Gohan was on time...but Videl was late.

It was only ten minutes, but Gohan couldn't stop himself from sweeping the city in search of her ki. She was on her way. He sighed in relief. He didn't really want her to be interrupted with police force, while he was trying to redeem himself in her eyes. And it was also partly because he didn't want her to discover he and Saiyaman were the same person.

That was one awkward conversation he wanted to put off as long as possible.

He knew he shouldn't—couldn't—reveal too much more about his personal life. His mother had given him strict orders against it, after the in-school encounters with both Vegeta and Goten. And that included explaining any other guest appearances. So he'd kept a low profile since that first day.

_She'll be here soon_ he thought to himself, as he adjusted the collar of the dress shirt Bulma had forced him into. She'd decided on a casual, yet sophisticated look. So now, he found himself in a deep blue button-up shirt, and a nice sports jacket. Bulma finished it off with a pair of black jeans, and sent him on his way, saying "It's not good to keep your lady friend waiting!"

_I don't think it's good to keep anyone waiting...but I guess rules of courtesy and rules for dating differ in that way_ Gohan mused as he counted down the seconds until he saw Videl round the corner.

And it was like that first time he'd met her. His mind blanked completely. All he could manage to do was stare at her.

Videl looked at Gohan warily. She had this weird sensation of déjà vu. No memories came to mind, but she definitely remembered the feeling of those eyes sweeping over her. She barely suppressed a shiver, before walking up to him.

"So, you _did_ show up," she said, trying to wake him out of his trance.

She watched as Gohan shook his head—clearing his mind of whatever thoughts he was dwelling on. She preferred to leave those a mystery.

"Of course," Gohan said.

She cocked her head. _Doesn't he hate me too or something? I mean, he can't stand my dad after all...yet...he seems genuinely pleased to have this second chance...why do guys have to be so confusing?_

Videl remained quiet for a while, before nodding. "So," she said after some thought. "What are we going to do tonight?"

"I don't know," Gohan shrugged. "Whatever_ you_ want to do I guess."

"A movie would be fun and all...but I might get called out on official police business, and people generally don't like interruptions during the films," Videl said. _Plus, more people would see us and assume it is a date if we went there. _"We could go to a cafe, or a bakery or something. Get a hot drink and a snack while we think of something?"

"Sounds good," Gohan said, feeling a tension relieve itself from his shoulders. He hadn't realized how nervous he was. But now that there was a game plan...he didn't think this could be near as bad as he thought.

* * *

They exchanged small talk, though Videl was unusually nervous. Gohan wasn't sure what had caused that change...and he wasn't entirely sure if he liked it or not.

Videl's thoughts had been dwelling on two trains of thought. Half of her brain was focusing on how to shield the fact that she was on a date from the general public—she really didn't want Gohan to be severely injured for something she agreed to. _In hindsight, that bet was a really stupid idea..._Videl thought to herself.

The rest of Videl's mind was confused. She was acting rather strange; being quiet, hardly managing to meet Gohan's eyes. These just _weren't_ traits that made Videl who she was. She prided herself on her bravery, and here she was, acting the part of a blushing school girl!

It wasn't until Gohan told her a joke—a pitiful, sadly funny _joke_—that all hell broke loose.

Videl giggled.

She was just as shocked by the development as Gohan was. But she was horrified by the girly outburst, while Gohan was having flashbacks to that day, seven years ago, when a young girl dressed in a pink, lace dress, simply drowning in frills, stepped onto the stage to sing for her father.

_This is her,_ Gohan thought to himself with a gentle smile. _This is the girl I wanted to find. I just had to dig deeply into Videl's tough exterior to find her._

And it was true. Simply sitting there, talking with Gohan had brought down Videl's defences. Times like this were few and far between. It was such a rare occurrence that neither teen really knew what to do.

Videl was desperately trying to build her walls up again, trying to make them thicker, sturdier. But Gohan was breaking these defences just as quickly as she could put them up.

Gohan only had one real shot at this, and he wanted to bask in it.

So, though Videl was frightened, the two teenagers were happy in each other's company...

But all good things come to an end.

And this one ended when Videl's watch started beeping. The two teens blushed, and looked apart. Gohan wasn't looking at anything in particular—the people passing outside the window, the clock on the wall, the employee putting a fresh batch of cinnamon buns out on display—though he kept his ears open. If Videl was going off to fight crime, she was going to have to take him along...whether she knew it or not.

"Videl! We need you at City Hall," the voice of the Chief of Police called through her watch.

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to keep a clear head, and build up her guard.

"It's a robbery. The same guy from Monday," the Chief said. "He's back. And he wants revenge. He's packing some serious explosives. But he's got too many hostages for us to do anything. All he wants is to go one-on-one with the champ. But we can't get a hold of your father. You are our best chance at stopping him from destroying half of the city."

"Right," Videl said, turning off the communicator. "Sorry, Gohan, but things sound pretty serious down there."

He was disappointed, sure. But he couldn't argue with the facts. The entire city was depending on Videl taking on this crook...or was it? Couldn't Saiyaman make a special appearance? Take out the source of the problem. At the very least, he could free the hostages while Videl was going after the robber turned bomber.

He really didn't want Videl to be put in the latter situation. If he was going to do something about this, he was going to have to let her get a head start on him.

Gohan nodded in understanding, watching as Videl raced out of the bakery. She de-capsulated her jet-copter, and clamber into it, all the while with a deadly, serious look of determination set on her lovely face.

The Videl he'd been waiting seven years to meet was once again buried deep behind a mask.

He sighed, waiting until her jet-copter had made it a few blocks away before running out of the bakery. He'd left money on the table, hoping that justified their hasty retreat. Running to a less populated area, he slipped out of the watchful eyes of the nosey townspeople. The press of a button later, Saiyaman was rushing through the sky, headed towards the bank that Videl had been headed to. After only a week, he had yet to memorize the city. That was something he was going to have to do in his spare time. But right now, he was busy. He had to stop a crazed man from igniting himself, blowing up the city in the process. Most importantly, he had to protect his dark haired angel.

* * *

Videl was scared. But only a little. She had never had to deal with something so big before. The police force for Satan City may leave something to be desired. They definitely weren't the most well organized crime fighting unit in the world. And they might feel that they can relax, knowing that the World Champ, Hercule Satan set up a permanent residence in their fine city. Crooks tend to be wary of city for that very reason. And if Hercule isn't enough to make them shake in their boots, his daughter Videl sent them packing.

It wasn't until a couple years ago—two at the most—that the crime rate started picking up again. The would-be criminals had realized that Hercule never left his mansion for anything other than a publicity stunt. That's when they started to get a little more daring. They weren't just lifting merchandise from the corner drug store anymore. No. They moved on to stealing electronic devices, like televisions and radios, just because the Champ wouldn't lift a finger to stop them. The police force had gotten soft in their years of peace; eaten a few too many donuts. They weren't in any shape or form to be stopping these crimes. And since they weren't quick enough, or in any way prepared, the crimes escalated from there. There were robberies; small ones at first, but the criminals moved onto banks soon enough. They'd realized that the city was fair game. Things were getting out of control.

Then Videl Satan stepped up to the plate. She'd had enough. She'd watched her life change drastically after her father's triumph over Cell. She'd watched as he morphed into a new person, someone she wasn't sure who he was anymore. But he was still her hero. He concurred all odds and taken out the mighty monster, Cell. Cell didn't even see him coming. And even after her mother ran off with their gardener, disappointed in the man that Hercule had become, Hercule pushed forwards; he didn't let anything hold him back from what he wanted.

Videl wanted to do that. She wanted to be like her father. She wanted to be able to help people. Since she wasn't nearly strong enough to save the world in the way her father did, she had to settle on helping the people in lesser quantities. She couldn't save the entire world, but she _could_ protect her home and the people of her city.

Once Videl took her place among the police force, and proved she meant business, the crime rate went right back down to where it was when the people were scared to commit these crimes. And there was a time, when her presence lowered the rate even further. However, many criminals wanted to prove to themselves nowadays, that a mere teenage girl couldn't stop them.

This robber turned bomber was one of them.

And she had to take him down.

* * *

Saiyaman landed just to the side of the building in question. From his vantage point, he could see the bomber, but the bomber couldn't see him. And that was exactly what Gohan was hoping for. Using a fine beam of ki like a laser, he managed to silently cut through the brick wall, and with his immense Saiyan strength, he was able to lower the brick slowly to the ground. All without the bomber batting an eye in his direction.

He knew the hostages were being trapped in the building, in a room not too far from his new makeshift door. His ki sense had told him as much. All that he needed to do now was waltz in there, while the bomber was at the front of the bank, and explain his plan to the frazzled hostages. He also had to convince them that he was a friend, and not working for the bomber.

This turned out to be easier than he thought it would. Many of the hostages had read about Saiyaman in the newspapers, and were more than willing to cooperate with him. It was as if his presence had calmed them, reassured them that everything would be alright.

He quickly ushered them out of the building, through his small, side 'door,' encouraging the now-free hostages to remain as quiet as they were able. He didn't need the bomber to turn and notice their escape and blow himself—and consequently half the city—up.

Gohan led them around to the back of the building, and instructed them to head to the police station. The police would need to question them later, and would also be able to get them medical attention, should it be required. They were all too willing to agree to anything that the city's new hero had to say. They walked towards the police station murmuring about their hero. Gohan only hoped that they would make it the whole three blocks before the shock set in.

It would have been more responsible to lead them directly to the police officers...and had they not been in direct line of sight of the current threat against the city, he would have done so. As it was, he had to wish for the best, and try and finish this quickly.

He rushed to the front of the bank, only to see Videl standing face-to-face with the bomber.

_Oh, great..._

* * *

Videl didn't have a plan. For once, she just barrelled her way into the situation, without thinking. The mere mention of all of the hostages made her see red; this bomber had to be taken out, one way or another.

"Well, it looks as if the city's 'hero' showed after all," the bomber said smirking as he took in Videl's form. Her stance was off. She had minimal balance in her current position.

"Of course I did," she said angrily. "I'm like a maid: I go wherever the filth is and I clean it up."

"Oh, so _now_ you know your place?" the bomber asked with a cocky smirk.

Videl felt her heart hammering in her chest, as she carefully took a step towards the bomber. His eyes never left her form, not even for a second. She squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, desperately trying to keep her tough exterior for the citizen's dumb enough not to run away. She was who they looked to for guidance and protection.

_You can do this, Videl_.

Her eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the bomber. Where he was once wired with many explosives, he was now standing there with a bare chest, seemingly unaware of his change in attire. Gasps rang out among their audience.

It took only a few moments for the bomber to realize what had everyone's attention.

"What? What kind of voodoo magic is this? Where did my explosives go…_you_ did this!" he yelled, staring pointedly at Videl. He walked menacingly towards her.

But before he could take his third step, a voice called out from his left.

"Actually, _I_ did it."

"_You_ foiled my foolproof plan? Just _who_ do you think you are?"

"I am Saiyaman," Gohan said calmly. "And your explosives were safely ignited, thirty miles out of the city's limits, where no harm could come from them."

He'd taken the explosives, just outside the city's boundaries, and launched them into the air. As they reached the top of their arch, he blasted them with a highly condensed ball of ki. The bombs still got to go off, but no one needed to be hurt.

"Well, I'll have you know," the foiled bomber said smugly, "That I did develop a backup plan."

"Oh really?" Videl asked, regaining her usual confidence, now that the bomb was removed from the situation.

"Yes," he answered. "And it goes a little something like this."

The man pulled a gun from the back of his waist band, and aimed it directly at Videl. Knowing that Saiyaman could move with inhuman precision, and speed, he wasted no time with fickle remarks, but simply pulled the trigger as soon as it was aimed at her.

And then everything slowed down…

Gohan's eyes grew wide as he watched the bullet leave the barrel. His thoughts all turned cold as he thought of ways to avenge this injustice, while still saving her life.

The bomber turned gunner was dropping the gun, planning on fleeing the scene while everyone was fawning all over the Satan girl.

Videl was watching as the bullet grew ever closer to her. Death was coming, and she was becoming absolutely terrified. She had always prided herself on her bravery, yet she feared death. There was so much she'd wanted to do. Surpass her father at the next world martial arts tournament; discover what makes Gohan so easy to be herself around…as well as what secrets his life held. She had never kissed a boy, nor even finished one measly date with one. Her thoughts turned to Gohan then. He was still waiting for her, at that corner bakery, to come back and finish their date. Though she felt entirely uneasy around the boy—and she immensely despised him for that—she did feel guilty, cheating him out of the date…and for failing to come through on her side of the bet.

She squeezed her eyes closed waiting for the inevitable pain that the bullet was sure to bring with it…but it never came.

She hesitantly opened an eye, only to see a navy blue gi in front of her face. _Saiyaman!_

The gunner was speechless. He'd expected to at least hear a collective gasp from the people. Did Videl really mean so little to them? Allowing his curiosity to get the better of him, he turned to not only see that someone else took the bullet…but to find that this someone—the singing man was it?—was still standing, not a scratch on him, let alone a bullet hole.

"W-what, h-how," he stammered, eyes wide. Saiyaman narrowed his eyes into a glare, and took one step towards the man. That was all it took for the man to run at the police, throwing his hands in the air, and beg them to cuff him.

Had Gohan not been through similar situations in the past—when someone he cared greatly about was injured—he might have lost control and used his unleashed power to deal some physical damage to the man. As it was, Videl hadn't actually been hurt, and the man was voluntarily locking himself up for, at the very least, the next twenty years.

It didn't sit well with Gohan…it didn't seem to be enough. But taking care of Videl was the most important thing right now.

"Videl," he said, trying to mask his voice. "Are you alright, Miss Videl?"

Videl blinked, before realizing that _Saiyaman_ was talking to her; the man that had taken a bullet for her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said in a small voice. "But _I _should be worried about _you_! Where did the bullet get you? Can you walk? Do you want me to call an ambulance? Should I—"

At this point, Gohan put her questions to rest, by raising his hands to her. "The bullet didn't actually get me. I deflected it," he explained. "I'm fine, and…_you're_ fine?"

"Yes, I already said I was," Videl said, angrily. "How does one just _deflect_ a bullet, Mr. Saiyaman? What kind of tricks are you trying to pull?"

_She just never quits, does she?_

"Now hold on a second," Gohan said raising his voice enough that she stopped talking. "I'm not performing any tricks here, Miss Videl. I just saved your life, the least you could be is grateful, and not yell at me for doing it. I understand that you were taught that anything you don't understand is a trick, but honestly, could you give it a rest for just one day?"

She found herself blinking at him a second time. Did he just yell at her? Did he talk down to her? Now, why was it that she found this intriguing rather than degrading?

She narrowed her eyes into the most chilling glare he'd yet to see grace her face. He couldn't help the shiver that made its way down his spine.

"I didn't ask you to save me," Videl said in an eerily calm voice. "So do _not_ expect me to throw myself at you like some lovesick fool. I have my pride you know. You could have let that bullet hit me. But you—out of your own godforsaken desire—_chose_ to step in between me and that bullet. Don't assume I'm some weak, frightened little girl, Saiy-a-man. I know what I'm doing! So leave my city alone!"

With that, she stormed off to find Gohan. He'd probably left already. It's not like she would have waited this long for him. _But_ he wasn't the daughter of the man that saved the world…

* * *

After quickly informing the police force that the hostages were waiting for them back at headquarters, Gohan took to the sky, desperately trying to get back to the bakery before Videl got there.

He managed to…but he was cutting it dangerously close.

"Hey Videl," he said, waving her to the table. "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"No," Videl said. "I was just busy. Some guy thought he could blow up the city."

"You don't say," Gohan said, faking surprise.

"Yeah, and then that Saiya-dork had to show up and ruin my day. I should be happy that the guy is behind bars, but I'm angry. That stupid masked 'hero' is taking over my job! How am I supposed to give back to the community, when he's always getting there first and always being so quick about it?"

"Maybe he just wants to make sure _you_ get looked after too, Videl," Gohan said seriously.

"Whatever," Videl said as if it were a foreign concept. "He just wants the glory of being the hero of the city."

"Hey! He _is_ a hero," Gohan argued. "He's saved plenty of people, including _you_! Where do you get off badmouthing him behind his back?"

"Oh Kami," Videl sighed. "You know, I _thought_ I'd been too quick to judge you, but I was right. You are an idiot. First, you bad mouth my father, and then insult me! I can do this job on my own; I don't _need_ a superhero or superpowers to do it. I can do it with my own two fists. I'm sorry Gohan, but I need 'friends' than can believe in me, and not all of that hocus pocus that's going on with that fake hero. I'll see you at school, Gohan."

"He's not a fake," Gohan said firmly. Only when she was out of earshot did he whisper, "But your father is."

* * *

Lime perked up when she heard the door slam closed. _Is the date over? It's only been two hours… but, Videl's never been on a date before, and neither had Gohan for that matter. They probably just didn't know what to do._

"Hey Videl," Lime said with a bright smile on her face. "How did it go?"

"Get out of my way," Videl said, pushing her way by the girl, set on making it to the gym. She needed to beat her frustrations into a sand bag or one of her father's students. They might work better actually….

"That well, huh?" Lime said, watching worriedly after her friend.

_Uh-oh…_

* * *

Two hours later, Gohan barges his way into his little home near the mountains. He can smell that dinner had been served ages ago, but he couldn't care less. For once in his life, his stomach didn't want any food. It already felt as though it were full of lead anyway.

"Gohan, where have you been!" came the shrill shriek of his mother. He knew she'd worry of course, but he'd been hoping to have good news to tell her. Knowing that talk of a possible girlfriend was now out of the question, the young boy didn't know what to tell her, so he simply didn't answer.

"Gohan, are you even listening to me? I've been worried sick! Tell me you didn't join a gang, tell me you aren't a delinquent. Please, just promise me that," Chi-Chi begged nearly in tears as her son refused to answer her. This of course just caused her to believe the worst.

"Gohan!"

He walked passed her, his eyes unfocused, dragging himself along.

"Gohan!"

He opened his door, and flopped face first onto his small bed, before letting out an exasperated sigh.

Chi-Chi, seeing this, figured it best not to pry…for now. She'd get her answers soon enough. For now though, she had to let her baby boy figure this out on his own.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/A:** Okay, my author's note is going to be short, but sweet today. I have to thank everyone for reviewing my last chapter—and everything that came before it :P—because I honestly don't thank you people enough. Second, I have to say that this chapter was really difficult for me to write, but only because I kept thinking about the ending, and didn't want to write anything that led up to it.

I hope you enjoy it. I read through it four times, cutting out some pointless lines. So, leave a review if you want to. Those are always nice.

Without further ado, on with the show, chapter eight:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Eight**_:

Gohan was miserable. He'd somehow managed to ruin his second chance. But not only that, he managed to get Videl angry enough to yell at him…twice! Of course, she didn't realize she was yelling at the same person two separate times, but Gohan was miserable anyway.

To make matters worse, his mother screamed at him the entire morning, after his less-than-cooperative entrance the night before. He couldn't bring himself to tell her where he'd been. He wanted to forget that the whole incident had occurred.

He was so confused about the whole thing. He'd thought the date was going well, swimmingly well. She'd come out of her shell, and he'd got to spend an entire forty minutes with the real Videl. The Videl that people never got to see. So what happened to make everything go downhill?

Bulma told him to be a perfect gentleman, and he had been. But Videl still found some fault in him that made her never want to see him again. He couldn't even pull off being her friend. How was he supposed to tell her how much he cared about her when she probably wouldn't even let him within ten feet of her?

How he wished he could be as naïve as his father. Or even have his sheer dumb luck when it came to women. Chi-Chi had followed Goku across the world, tracking him down at the World Martial Arts Tournament, just to make him fulfill his promise of marrying her.

But Gohan had to be the one doing all of the tracking this time around. And Videl wasn't as naïve as Goku had been. She was hard-headed, determined and head-strong. She wasn't about to fall head-over-heels for him. No, that was his job. One night, seven years ago, he _looked_ at her, and now he was going through hell just to try and get her to talk to him.

Maybe he was more like his mother than he'd initially thought…

He shivered involuntarily, and shook the thought from his head. There was no need to depress himself even further. No, Videl did enough of that already.

* * *

Now, over in Satan City, Videl wasn't faring much better. She was horrified by her behaviour, yet at the same time, her pride wouldn't let her apologize. Neither to Gohan or Saiyaman. She knew that it was just the stress of the day—her first date, a second chance, near death experience…it's enough to make any girl go insane—that caused her to blow up at the two of them; couple that with their unnerving ability to strip her of her iron-clad defence, and the two guys were making her both confused and wary.

A wary Videl was a dangerous thing.

And because they made her wary, she didn't think it would be a good idea to go anywhere near them—either of them. But that's where the problem lies. She would end up near them no matter what she did. Gohan sat two seats down from her during classes, and Lime invited him to all of their lunches. Given enough time, Videl was sure Lime would be taking him home with her as well. Which left Videl only one way to be rid of him: fighting crime. But that escape led her straight into the presence of Saiyaman. No matter what did, she would always be near one of them. And that didn't sit well with the young crime fighter.

Saiyaman didn't scare her nearly as much as Gohan did. Saiyaman only seemed to desire peace, and the safety of all of those in the city. He saved her life and the lives of hundreds of other people already in his short bout of heroics. But he spoke only minimally to her. In fact, she found herself wishing for more time with him rather than Gohan. Gohan wanted to be her friend. And that made him terrifying. Worse than any bad guy she'd ever had to take down. If the way Lime acted over their date was any indication, Videl was fairly certain Gohan wanted to be _more_ than friends.

But the scariest thing about either of the two was that Videl liked them. She _liked_ them more than any other guy she'd ever been around. And that was horrible. Not only was it a danger to them that she liked them, but they had both disrespected her multiple times before—and if not _her_ exactly, her father. How could she possibly like someone who can't stand her father, her hero? She was almost sickened by herself.

"Videl?" a voice called, breaking her out of her bout of self-loathing. "Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

"I'm in my room, Lime," Videl called back dejectedly. She couldn't tell Lime that she might like _both_ Saiyaman and Gohan. She wouldn't tell her about either. It could mean bad things for her. She wasn't supposed to convert into another Erasa! She was supposed to be tough, strict, down-right anti-Erasa. She couldn't change now. If her father found out…bad things would happen. For one, she'd be sent to a convent, where he could be sure no man ever touched her in any way he deemed inappropriate. The other options just went downhill from there.

"So, what did Gohan do wrong this time?" Lime asked slipping through the door, shutting it tightly behind her, so Hercule couldn't eavesdrop.

"He insulted me?" Videl said. It sounded more like a question than she wanted it to. He _had_ insulted her…hadn't he? She wasn't sure why she'd yelled at him anymore. All she knew was that he couldn't be trusted. Anyone that could make her feel this way couldn't be trusted any further than Erasa could throw them—she could throw a lot of people pretty far, yet she wasn't quite that trusting, hence Erasa's name.

"Did he really? Or are you making up excuses?" Lime asked, raising her eyebrow at her friend.

"I'm not making excuses," Videl said stubbornly.

"Is it really too hard for you to like him?" Lime sighed.

"I don't like him!" she retorted a little too quickly.

"You don't say," Lime smirked.

"I don't," Videl said sending her best glare in Lime's direction.

"Okay, I believe you," Lime lied.

"Good," Videl huffed. "So, are we done in here? I'd kind of like to beat on a punching bag…or one of dad's students."

"Nope," Lime said happily. "Erasa is coming over in a few minutes. You won't have any time."

"Who invited her?" Videl asked grumpily. She had plans—violent plans.

"_I_ did," Lime said. "I needed help to get you out of your funk. It's not like I'm torturing you. She is your best friend after all."

_I would probably call it torture…_Videl thought to herself, but aloud she said, "Yeah, yeah."

The echo of the doorbell came from downstairs. Videl sighed. Lime bounced out of the room to go and fetch their guest. Videl was given strict orders not to leave her bedroom under any circumstance. If she did—and Lime found out—Lime had unspeakable things planned as punishment. Videl was almost positive one of those things involved calling Gohan up, and inviting him to come over. _That_ would be torture, though there was a small part of her—a very miniscule part—that wanted him to come over, and that was more terrifying than enduring Lime's torturous punishments. It would be best if she stayed put.

But, it would be a lie to say that a disappearance act hadn't crossed her mind. She could always say that she'd been called off on official police business. Unfortunately for Videl, Lime was very clever, and would probably look into the situation to warrant if there was any truth to it.

She sighed. An hour with Erasa would be worth it if she could keep her unwanted, undecided feelings at bay.

"There you are!"

Erasa was as bubbly as ever. _Great,_ Videl thought. _She's bound to talk about how cute one—if not both—of them are. What if I agree? Can I even do that?_

Her father's twisted rules were bending her mind. She wasn't sure what she could or couldn't do. She couldn't date a guy, that much was certain…but she'd already broke that rule once, surely she could do it again should the opportunity arise. Couldn't she? Liking a guy was out too, wasn't it? Her father had told her exactly what guys look for. And it was always just that one thing. Sharpener was proof enough of that. So was that naïve mountain boy like all of the others? Or was that exactly why she liked him so much?

"Videl? Are you like, going to answer me?"

"Huh?" Videl asked, coming out of her thoughts. _Great, now she's going to think something's up for sure._

"You spaced out for a second there," Erasa said. "So, give me all the juicy details."

"Details of what?" Videl asked warily. She knew what she wanted. It was the one thing she didn't want to share.

"Your date, of course," Erasa said, smiling. "Was he a gentleman? Did he pay your dinner? Is he as good of a kisser as I think he'd be?"

"What?" Videl shrieked eyes wide. _Did she really just ask me that?_

"Is he a good kisser or not? I want to know. If nothing comes of this bet-date, I need to know these things, in case I want to give him a shot," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"Nothing's going to come of the date," Videl insisted, biting her tongue from telling her friend to mind her own business, and to leave Gohan alone.

"That's too bad," Erasa sighed. She was really hoping that Videl would finally find someone to love.

"It really is," Lime said, speaking up for the first time.

"It was just a bet, guys," Videl said, starting to feel guilty for her quick dismissal of Gohan.

"I know," Erasa said, giving her a bright smile.

Lime muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "It wasn't a bet to him," but Videl couldn't be sure. Maybe she was hearing what that stupid—and very small—part of her wanted to hear. That Gohan might like her back.

"You win some, you lose some," Erasa continued. "But, you still didn't answer my questions!"

"What were they again?" Videl asked dejectedly.

"First and foremost," Erasa said with a giggle. "I want to know about his kissing."

"We didn't kiss," Videl said, trying to mask her growing anger towards Erasa. _Is this how normal girls feel when they have crushes? On the bright side, it gives me a lot of animosity, and I could use that to my advantage in a fight…_

"That's no fun," Erasa said sticking her tongue out playfully. Lime furrowed her brows, nearly pouting.

"Okay, next question," Erasa said. "Was he a gentleman? Did he pay?"

"He paid," Videl said, holding back a blush. This normal girl stuff was really embarrassing. And it was rather difficult too. "I was going to, since it was my bet and all, but I got called away by the police, so I kind of left in a hurry."

"Still," Erasa said smiling brightly. "He could have waited until you got back. For him to pay, shows he had at least some interest in where this was going. I mean, not just any old guy would pay for a girl. A lot would pay for _you_, but Gohan like hates your dad or something, so he must actually like you for him to care about how the date went."

"It was just a _bet_," Videl said again, growing irritated.

"For _you_," Erasa said.

"Can we talk about something else now?" Videl asked, sending a dirty look in Erasa's direction.

"Yeah," Lime said, agreeing to the suggestion. "I want to know what went wrong with Saiyaman yesterday. It seems you had a falling out with him too."

"Where did you hear that?" Videl asked angrily.

"It was front page news," Lime said. "I heard your dad praising you for putting a 'no-good-scrawny-little-punk' in his place."

"Well," Videl said, blushing brightly. "He might have saved my life…and I may have yelled at him for doing so…"

"Videl!" Lime shouted. _Maybe that's why Gohan hasn't called me yet. He must be pretty upset._

"I have to go call Gohan. You two finish your chat."

"See you later then," Erasa said. "So, I have to know. Do you know just who Saiyaman really is?"

"Not a clue," Videl said honestly. "He's got that glowing gold hair of his and that mask. There's something about his eyes. It's like they're familiar, but I can't seem to place them. I know he was the delivery boy and the gold fighter and all, but I could swear I'd seen those eyes somewhere else. But you'd think I'd remember a pair of eyes of such a strange colour…"

"Well, I don't know about that," Erasa said. "I just want to know if he's single, and interested in blondes. Can you ask him for me?"

Videl couldn't help the jealous rush that swelled up inside of her. She tried to suppress it, but it just wasn't meant to be.

"Don't go chasing after him, Erasa! He's not worth your time. All he cares about is the safety of the people in the city. But _I'm_ the only person he knows face to face. With the exception of the police chief," Videl shouted, "and that's only a maybe."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous for a second," Erasa said, blinking at her friend's outburst. "If you really hate him as much as you say you do, then you shouldn't care who he knew or who he hung out with? I mean, it's not like I'm stepping on your toes by liking this guy am I? Honestly Videl, you confuse me sometimes."

_I confuse myself too…_

* * *

Gohan had heard the phone ringing. He merely chose not to answer it. He didn't want to have to talk about his failed date. Especially if his mother happened to overhear anything he said while on the phone. And, having moved passed depression and into anger, he was sure that would be horrible. He still hadn't told her what he'd been up to the night before, nor had he told her why he was in such a foul mood. So, it was understandable that he ignored the phone.

He thought so anyway.

Chi-Chi on the other hand was furious. Not only was the phone on its seventh ring, she was elbow-deep into cooking dinner. Was it honestly too much to ask that her children answer a phone while she prepared a meal for them to gorge themselves on? She certainly didn't think so. But it seemed that her two sons were unable to complete even that simple task without her nagging them about it. She didn't _like_ harping on her children, but they were as clueless as their father when it came to housework. If it didn't involve their fists, they needed to be told what to do. She thanked Kami that Gohan was gifted with a good brain. With a little pushing on her part, he could become a great scholar, and have a good life, with a good job. Hopefully, he'd bring home a nice girl, so he could get married, and have grandchildren for her. His life _could_ be great, if he'd only put forth a little effort. It was Goten she worried most about though. He took after his father in the brains department. He was also a very gifted fighter. She supposed that's where his talents lie, just like her Goku. But she wasn't about to allow her son to give up his education so he could join a gang and risk his neck to save the world every time a threat chose to appear. Honestly, couldn't someone else do that? She'd already lost her husband—_twice—_did they really want to take away her babies too?

The phone rang for its ninth time before Chi-Chi managed to pick it up. She was just thankful that whoever was calling was patient. Nine rings was a long wait.

"Hello, this is the Son residence," she said breathlessly into the phone. "This is Chi-Chi speaking. I'm sorry for the wait. May I ask who is calling?"

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Son," came a young feminine voice. "I was wondering if Gohan was available."

"I'm sure he'd love to talk to such a wonderfully polite young lady," Chi-Chi said delightedly, little stars dancing in her eyes. She could just see it now. This young lady saving Gohan from his odd depression, and earning his love in the process, then they'll get married—after college of course—and start a family. Gohan's future was really starting to look bright after all. "If you'd just give me a moment to fetch him?"

"Of course," she said brightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," Chi-Chi said, just before she went off to fetch her son. His future was calling after all.

"I didn't give it," she said embarrassed. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Lime. But could I ask that you say I'm Krillin, or maybe Trunks? I'm afraid he'll avoid the conversation if he knows it's me."

"Oh," Chi-Chi mumbled in confusion. This girl already knew of that Z Warrior gang? Well, she was certainly _not_ Chi-Chi's first choice of daughter-in-law, not if the girl approved of that band of delinquents.

"Please?"

"Alright," Chi-Chi sighed. She put her hand over the receiver, and looked towards her son's bedroom. "GOHAN! One of your father's dead beat, brainless fighter friends is on the phone for you! Get your butt out here and tell them that you have to go to school, so you can't play superhero with them today."

She smiled inwardly as it worked like a charm. The door to his bedroom nearly flew off its hinges as he rushed to get to the phone. If the world was in danger, he wanted to help in any way he could.

"Hello?" he asked, unsure as to whom it was. Could it be Yamcha? Or maybe it was Krillin… He doubted it was Vegeta, but it could be Trunks.

"Gohan," Lime said the smile evident in her voice.

"Lime? You aren't a Z Warrior," Gohan commented, before the truth sunk in. "The world isn't in danger is it?"

"No," Lime giggled. "_Your_ world might be in danger, but for the most part, Earth is safe. I called about your date. Videl won't tell me everything. She just says that she yelled at you for no reason, and she hinted at feeling guilty, but she's too prideful to admit to it. I'm counting on you to tell me in full detail."

"My mom is listening in the other room," Gohan whispered. "Can't this wait until Monday?"

"No! I have to try and smooth this over," Lime said forcefully. "I can't be happy if my two best friends are mad at each other."

"I'm sorry, but I can't be much help. She insulted Saiyaman, I said he was a real hero," Gohan said, recounting his memories of the event. "She said it was trickery, I said he wanted to protect her…and then she got mad, saying she didn't need any protection, and that Saiyaman was stupid because he thought she was weak. And _I_ of course was a jerk, because I hate her father, and like Saiyaman, and therefore I think she's weak? I don't really understand her logic. All I know is that I'm ticked off at her temper tantrum, but I'm feeling incredibly stupid for letting her slip away again. First when I initially saw her, and then now. I'm an idiot."

"You're not a complete idiot," Lime countered. "Like I said, you managed to make her feel guilt. That's not an easy feat."

"I suppose not," Gohan said, thinking it over. He was going to have to tell her the next time he saw her. He would walk up to her, and tell her how he felt. It couldn't possibly be so hard. He fought Saiyans when he was five and a half years old, then travelled across the universe, trained to take out insanely powerful androids, and ended up defeating the 'perfect' creation of Dr. Gero, Cell himself, single handed—literally with one hand. Telling Videl that he kind of, sort of, _really_ liked her shouldn't be such a problem.

"Good," Lime said happily. Gohan was definitely feeling better. She could tell almost instantly.

"So," Gohan said, his face turning bright red. "Videl wouldn't happen to be with you right now, would she? I'd like to talk to her."

"Sorry," Lime said. "She's in the other room; I can get her if you want."

"Yeah," Gohan said, taking a deep breath. _You can do this!_ "If you could, that would be great."

"Not a problem; just give me a second.'

* * *

Lime set the receiver on the table, and took a second to cheer to herself. Finally, after so much encouraging, her two best friends would get together. She honestly couldn't see either of them ending up with anyone else. They just complimented each other so well. Gohan would easily balance out her personality. He could allow her to be prideful, without contradicting it with his own pride. He _did_ have pride; he just didn't cling to it as a lifeline. He knew who he was, he didn't _need_ to hide. Lime firmly believed that Gohan could help Videl, and by being together, they would bring out the best in each other.

Just as she turned towards the stairway, Videl came bounding down the steps, flying passed her.

"Videl, where are you going?" Lime gasped as she nearly had a heart attack.

"Someone took the mayor hostage," Videl said. "He's demanding a fight, and I'm going to give it to him. If dad asks, tell him I'm at City Hall, and I'll be home as soon as I take this guy down."

"Okay," Lime said surprised. But Videl was out the door and pulling out her capsule before she could even get the word out. Sighing, she headed back to the phone. "Gohan?"

"Yeah," Gohan said nervously.

"Videl's headed off to City Hall. The mayor's in trouble," Lime explained.

"I've got to go," Gohan said quickly, hanging up the phone. She knew he was well on his way to Satan City by now.

_Be careful you two…_

* * *

Videl landed long before Saiyaman showed up. She would have revelled in the fact, had the mayor not been held at gunpoint. Honestly, why did all of the villains nowadays have to carry guns? She couldn't possibly go up against a gun. The other brutes though, the backup, she could take out no problem. So that's what she did. While their boss was busy trying to cut a deal with the police, she was swatting down enemies like they were flies. It wasn't until she tried to sneak the hostage out from under the boss' nose that things went downhill.

First, Videl remembered everything slowing down. It was as if she was sensing everything around her. She heard every heartbeat, every intake of breath. She almost _felt_ when the boss guy swung his gun around to face her.

She stopped breathing. Only one thought entered her head, repeating like a mantra.

_Not again. Not again. Not again._

And this time, Saiyaman wasn't there to help her. She couldn't help but feel foolish. She'd probably scared him off when she yelled at him the day before. All because she didn't want to say a simple 'thank you.'

She would never see her father again; never tell him how much she loved him, even though he was sometimes annoying and conceited. She wouldn't be able to tell Lime and Erasa—and maybe even Sharpener—how much their friendship meant to her.

But what confused her most was that the two most prominent regrets flashing before her eyes were Gohan and Saiyaman. She never told either of them she was sorry. She wouldn't be able to figure out why she suddenly started to like the both of them. And worst of all, she would never be able to admit to them that she actually did _like _them.

Unlike last time, Videl vowed to watch her killer until the end. She stared into his cold, dark eyes as he sneered a goodbye at her.

BANG!

"No!"

* * *

He was too late! Gohan arrived—as Saiyaman—just as the man swung his gun to face Videl. It all happened so fast. She stood there, unafraid the whole time, when he was shaking in his boots. This isn't how he wanted to spend time with her. Not in a morgue. It wasn't until the man pulled the trigger that Gohan snapped out of it.

"No!" he shouted, diving off of the building at light speed. He threw himself between her and the bullet, not giving himself enough time to erect a ki barrier. He winced as the foreign object ripped through his arm—directly through his bicep. That might take a while to heal…but at least Videl was alive.

He repeated that to himself, as his eyes flashed, and lightning started sparking around him. He needed to take care of this guy, but what little part of his human self that was left, was fighting for control. He didn't need to brutally murder this man for attempting to take Videl away from him. He was smarter than that. Twenty years in jail was much worse than a fast, clean death.

But it was Videl that caused him to come back to himself, as she placed her hand on his shoulder, inspecting his wound. He glared at the man, which effectively froze him in place long enough for the officers to come and cuff him.

"That's the second time you saved me," Videl said quietly. "I _should_ thank you, I suppose. But, I have to know why?"

"Why what?" he asked, forcing himself to ignore the pain in his arm. It would be gone by the next day anyway.

"Why do you care? Why did you save me?"

Maybe it was the pain he was trying to ignore, or the fact that he nearly lost her two times in two days. If he thought about it, it could have been the promise he made himself: that he would tell her how he felt the next time he saw her.

Whatever it was, he couldn't care less, because, for a few seconds, he was in heaven, as he gently cupped her face with the hand of his uninjured arm, and guided it to his own. He pressed his lips softly to hers.

It only lasted a few seconds though, before she pulled away roughly.

"What gives you the right to do that to me?" she hissed angrily. People were starting to stare.

Panicking, Gohan did the only thing his mind could think of, and he kissed her again. It was only a second before he realized what he was doing, and pulled away. He backed up, putting a few strides between him and the girl. She would be furious.

She smirked at him, and walked carefully closer. "You know," she whispered slyly. "I don't think that quite covered the gratitude I feel for saving my life. You did save me _twice_ after all…"

Gohan gulped sure she was going to hit him, and praying she didn't damage herself in the process.

But she didn't hit him…quite the opposite, really. She did the last thing he expected.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for a kiss that lasted much longer than the others. It was deeper, more passionate, and much more exhilarating.

Gohan was sure that life didn't get any better than this.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/A:** Okay. I just have to say thank you to everyone that reviewed my latest chapter. And then, I have to address an issue that has become apparent. I've gotten some reviews that said they weren't happy with me allowing Gohan to be shot. I know he can deflect bullets, but I was also playing off the fact that he is genetically half human as well. It was a necessary scene, as you'll see later in this chapter, because it leads Videl into a big discovery. I know you aren't too happy with it, but I chose to use it because a bullet had a better chance of hurting the half-Saiyan than the man did without it. And, as I mentioned, he wasn't worried about it, because it would heal extremely quickly.

On a plus note, that was the only time I've ever received such a review, and I have to say that though it was slightly disappointing, and made me question my decision to continue writing, I kind of enjoyed the learning experience. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Not everyone is going to like what you write, so I just have to make sure _I_ like what I write, and continue to write to fulfil my own desires for the story.

With that said, I hope you will read the next chapter, and I _hope_ you like what you find. Also, I hope my explanation is good enough for you.

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Nine**_:

Lime yawned, stretching to her full length. She wondered briefly how things went for Gohan yesterday. He'd rushed off immediately after she'd mentioned a possible danger for Videl. She didn't have the time to try to comfort him as much as she'd like.

_But,_ she thought. _Videl did come home in an unusually good mood. I wonder what happened._

She shook the thoughts from her mind. It was too early to be worrying over such things. She needed to get some breakfast into her system before she could tackle any big problems. Being their best friend was a lot harder than she initial thought.

She stumbled into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from the cupboard, and poured herself a generous portion of cereal and milk. It was as she took her usual seat at the table, that she noticed something particularly interesting on the front page. She blinked, trying to focus her brain, before looking again. She had seen it right.

There on the front page of the newspaper, was Videl. And she was kissing Saiyaman! Why hadn't Videl told her? Or even Gohan for that matter. This was major news. Her two best friends were now _together_, just as she'd hoped they would be. She couldn't be happier.

Her mood turned to panic as she heard the humming of her host, Hercule Satan walking down the hallway, headed to the kitchen. She quickly took the paper, and tucked it under the padded seat cushion on her chair. He couldn't see that. He would freak out, and stir up the citizens into a citywide manhunt. And Gohan would be their target.

She knew it wouldn't be much trouble to him, but she also knew he wanted his privacy, and taking out the world's current champion would not give him that.

As the door swung open, she frantically ate a bite of her cereal. She was _trying_ to act normal, like there was nothing wrong at all. But luck wasn't on her side. Hercule's gaze swept across the table; his brows furrowed when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Good morning, Mr. Satan," Lime said before taking another bite.

"'Morning Lime," he answered gruffly. "Have you seen today's paper?"

"No, I haven't," Lime lied smoothly. "Do you think they might have forgotten to deliver it?"

"I'm Hercule Satan," he answered. "They wouldn't have forgotten _my_ paper. Maybe the guards just scared a new paper boy away." He shrugged. His publicist would tell him if there were any noteworthy articles about him in the paper anyway. He usually just read the paper to be sure that the mysterious fighters from the Cell Games didn't show up, claiming him to be a fraud. Which of course, he was, but he didn't want his fans to know that. It had been seven years; maybe those freaks had forgotten about the Cell Games already. They left just as mysteriously as they came. And he for one couldn't have been happier with that development.

"You're probably right," Lime said, suppressing a sigh. It was then that Videl chose to make her entrance. "Good morning Videl."

"Morning Lime," Videl said. "Morning daddy."

"Good morning, sweet pea," he said, forgetting his train of thought.

The two Satan's prepared their breakfasts, and sat down with Lime.

"So," Lime said, smiling ruefully at Videl. "I heard that something major happened with Saiyaman yesterday. Care to elaborate?"

"Yeah," Hercule said, interrupting his daughter as she started to speak. "I want to know what that no good punk is up to."

Videl blushed, but her father was too wrapped up in his breakfast to notice. She thanked Kami for that. She debated whether to tell Lime the truth, since she deserved to know. Also, she might stop forcing Gohan on her if she knew she was spoken for…sort of. She didn't really know what her relationship was with Saiyaman. She knew he was blushing pretty badly after she finished kissing him. The growing crowd didn't help much either. But he muttered an apology to her, and flew off who knows where. All she knew was that he was a jerk for leaving her to deal with all of the gossip hounds and the press. Granted, he was injured…he probably had to take care of it. Though, she distinctly remembered that it had stopped bleeding rather quickly…

"He got shot," she said simply, trying to keep her growing worry out of her voice. "The bullet went right through his right bicep. The poor guy—I mean the punk—will probably be out of it for a while. A wound like that doesn't go away overnight."

"Serves him right," Hercule said laughing boisterously. "The town doesn't need phonies like him around anyway. It's got my Videl to protect it. Isn't that right honey?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "But he did save my life by taking the bullet for me."

"It punctured him? It didn't just deflect off?" Lime clarified. Gohan was known to be bulletproof. Something must have thrown off his concentration for something that drastic to happen.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it went right through. I don't even get how it happened. One minute I was staring down the barrel, the guy pulls the trigger, and I hear this shouting. I think it was the chief, but I can't be sure. And then, the next thing I know, Saiyaman just appears in front of me, willingly taking the bullet meant for me," Videl said, trying to keep her voice aloof, when it wanted so badly to be dreamy. This whole liking guys thing was really difficult.

And she'd been right about Gohan. Saiyaman was a much safer bet than Gohan. He was powerful, strong enough to beat her father…maybe. And he was mysterious, but not in the I'm-keeping-tons-of-secrets-from-everyone kind of way that Gohan was. He was so unique. His hair was nearly beautiful in the way the blonde strands stuck out all over the place. The electricity that often followed him around was exhilarating. Rather than scaring her—as it did most people—she felt comforted by it. The fact that she'd seen him like that before, at the Cell Games, made her sure of his abilities. But his eyes were haunting. She could swear she'd seen them somewhere. A long time ago, nearly forgotten. She was just a young girl. She was sure of it. But the actual moment was lost in her memory. But rest assured she'd figure it out.

Now, she just had to break the bad news to Gohan. Lime had all but told her that Gohan liked her. And she knew he must actually like _her_, because he made it absolutely clear that he didn't care about who her father was. It was kind of flattering, now that she didn't have to worry over her unknown feelings for him. Too bad she'd have to crush his spirits.

But she couldn't string him along either. She'd witnessed girls doing that time after time, and she always found herself wanting to smack them upside the head for being so cruel. Videl could be cruel, but she was never _that_ cruel. She wouldn't toy with another's emotions. She just had to figure out a way to let him know she was no longer interested in him romantically in any way. Of course, she'd never actually let him know that she'd _been _interested, so it shouldn't be too hard. Right?

"I need to call Gohan," Lime said quietly, excusing herself from the table.

_Lime must like Gohan too,_ Videl thought. _She's always calling him, and hanging out with him, and she goes on and on about how great he is… Maybe that's what I should do! I should set Gohan up with a date, so he can move on, and I won't have to break his spirit._

With newfound enthusiasm, Videl kissed her father's cheek, excusing herself as well. She had some planning to do…

* * *

Gohan was practically on cloud nine. His mother had made such a fuss the day before, when he came home with a—mostly healed—bullet wound in his arm. She even forgave him for being so secretive. She was just so glad that her baby was alright.

And with where things stood with Videl, he couldn't be happier. He'd taken a risk, a _giant_ risk, and she reciprocated. That was the best thing that could have happened to him at the moment. He'd been so down about how their flimsy friendship was crumbling, and now, Videl was kissing him! Well, she was kissing Saiyaman anyway.

This is where his problem came in. _He_ was Saiyaman. But Videl didn't know that. She thought him and Saiyaman were two separate people. And he wanted to tell her who he was. But he was terrified to do that. What if she hated him for lying to her? What if she hated_ Gohan _so much that she never wanted to speak to him again?

He probably wouldn't be able to handle that.

Though his mother didn't know it, he was pretty sure he found the girl he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He couldn't tell Chi-Chi this of course, because she'd go on a rampage, demanding to meet this girl. And that was not something he was willing to let happen just yet.

As he was mulling over his thoughts, Goten was trying to sneak up on him.

"What are you doing, Goten?" he asked with a smile as Goten was preparing to attack him.

"No fair," Goten pouted. "You aren't 'upposed to do that. It's no fun when you do that, Gohan."

"Sorry, squirt. But I'm trying to figure something out. How about we play later, hmm? How does that sound?"

"That sounds like the bestest idea you've had all day!" Goten said happily. But his smile fell off his face as he tried to find the words to ask his big brother the question that had been bugging him all night. "Gohan?"

"Yeah, squirt," Gohan said, staring down at his little brother.

"How come the bullet hurt you? Didn't mommy say that bullets just bounced right offa daddy? Then how come they didn't bounce offa you?" Goten asked in confusion.

"Dad was a full Saiyan," Gohan said. "I guess that means that bullets can hurt me, because I'm not a full Saiyan. But they'll only hurt me if I'm not paying attention. If I concentrate, I can use my power to deflect the bullets, or even catch them."

"Why wasn't you paying attention?"

"Weren't, Goten. You meant to say weren't," Gohan corrected out of habit. "And I wasn't paying attention because the bad guy was trying to kill my—a very close friend of mine."

Videl wasn't his girlfriend. He couldn't just assume that she even wanted to be either.

"Oh, so you was worried about her?"

Gohan sighed. His mother sure wasn't teaching him as strictly as she did when he was Goten's age. If he was caught using such bad grammar, he had to do extra work sheets. It didn't seem fair to him at all.

"Yes, Goten, I was _very_ worried about her," Gohan told his brother, not bothering to correct him this time. He wasn't going to remember the rules later anyway. He decided to leave his mother to deal with him.

"Is she gonna be my new sister?" Goten asked after a moment of thought.

"What?" Gohan shouted in surprise. "What gave you that idea squirt? She's probably not going to be your sister." He couldn't bring himself to say that she _wasn't_ going to be his new sister, on the off chance that it turned out to be a lie.

"Aw," Goten whined. "Mom said that you was gonna get married to a girl and then she would be my new sister. You should marry her Gohan. I wanna sister. I never had a sister before. And I want to have one of those before Trunks does. Just like I had a big brother first. 'Cause he gets everything else first, so I want this Gohan. Marry her…please?"

"Goten," Gohan said calmly. "If you want me to get married, you are going to have to wait. It takes time to fall in love, and be sure you're in love. And you need to be in love to get married, or else it doesn't last. So I know you want a sister, but you're just going to wait alright?"

"But…what if Trunks gets a sister first?" Goten asked, pouting.

"Well," Gohan said thinking it through. "He might not ever get a sister Goten; you don't know that he will. But, even if he does, you'll be the only one to have a_ big_ sister _and_ a big brother. Okay?"

"Yeah! I get to have _two_ and he's only gonna get one!" Goten said happily.

"Maybe," Gohan said seriously.

"Right, maybe. Maybe I'll get two and he'll have none," Goten said, suddenly feeling bad for his friend. "If he doesn't got any, I'll share mine with him."

"Okay," Gohan said, rolling his eyes at his brother's logic. But he wished his problems could be as simple as Goten's. It would make everything so much easier.

"Gohan," Chi-Chi called from the doorway. "The phone's for you! It's the same girl from yesterday."

_I wonder what Lime wants?_

"Okay mom, I'll be right there," Gohan called back. "Goten, why don't you go find a lizard to play with? Just don't get a big dinosaur okay? Those are really dangerous."

"Okay!" And with that, Goten was off, running who knows where, to find some new lizard friend. Gohan laughed, and headed towards the house.

"Took you long enough," Chi-Chi said. "She's rather talkative. I hope you plan on introducing me to my future daughter-in-law, Gohan."

"D-Daughter-in-law?"

"Yes, this girl that is always phoning you," she said. "I want to meet her. I need to know if she is right for my little boy. Does she know how to cook? Do the laundry?"

"Mom," Gohan interrupted, hearing the laughter coming from the phone. "I'm _not_ marrying Lime, okay? She's just my friend."

"Oh, Gohan," Chi-Chi said, suddenly sad. "Does that mean you don't have any lady-friends? Why don't those girls want my baby? You're perfect husband material. Maybe I should go and have a talk with those girls?"

"No, mom," Gohan shouted, grabbing the phone. Lime was now laughing uncontrollably. "I don't need any help. That might make things worse, actually, so don't do that."

"Alright," she said. "But only if you swear to introduce me to any girl that _you_ think could be my future daughter-in-law. I want grandchildren while I'm still young enough to enjoy them, you know."

"Yes mom," Gohan said. "I'll introduce you to Videl at some point."

After it was out, he realized what he said. Chi-Chi gasped, and Lime had nearly lost it, she was laughing so hard.

"Videl?"

"Y-yes," Gohan stuttered. "V-videl. Now, if you would excuse me, I have a call to take."

"Of course," Chi-Chi said, walking out of the room with stars in her eyes. She was going to have grandchildren soon. Her mind wandered to Videl. Who was this mystery girl? And just what was it that made Gohan say her name when she suggested grandchildren? Oh no. What if Gohan was turned into one of those hormonal teenagers? She'd have to have a talk with him later about the importance of waiting until marriage.

Once his mother was gone, Gohan sighed. He really shouldn't have said that. Now his mother was going to nag him until she met Videl. But he still wasn't sure how to tell her who he was. This was all starting to freak him out. Maybe talking with Lime would help.

"Hello, Lime," he said, rolling his eyes as she continued laughing.

"Oh, Kami, Gohan," Lime said between bouts of laughter. "I didn't know your mom could be so funny! I can't believe she asked you those things. Scratch that. I can't believe you told her about you-know-who."

"Is she listening to you?" he asked nervously.

"No," Lime said. "I just didn't want to say it, just in case. She can be pretty sneaky you know."

"Yeah," Gohan agreed. "So, what's up?"

"A lot," Lime said, getting to business. "So why didn't you tell me that Saiyaman made the front page for—"she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Kissing Videl. You should have phoned me immediately."

"Why," Gohan asked. "She kissed Saiyaman, not _Gohan_. She's probably still mad at me. But for some reason, she likes the hidden identity. So, I don't really think it's worth all the hype you're giving it."

"Hey," Lime argued. "Saiyaman is _you_. He's you without the disguise. The guy you are at school and the guy you are right now are two very different people. You are more yourself, when you get to walk around in a mask."

"So, has she said anything about it yet? Did she like it?" Gohan asked suddenly afraid of the answer. He wanted Videl to like him after all.

"Well," Lime started. "I kind of haven't talked to her about it yet. _But,_ I will talk to her about it the moment I finish talking to you. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like we're finished talking," Gohan said with a smile. "How about you go talk to her, and tell me tomorrow at school what she says, okay?"

"If you want me to hang up, just tell me to hang up," Lime said with mock hurt in her voice. But she ruined her act when she started laughing. Gohan joined in, as he said goodbye. She said her farewell as well, and the two hung up the phone.

_Well, that was interesting._

* * *

Videl realized that Gohan and Lime had laughed like mad when it was suggested that they were dating. So, Lime was out. But, that didn't mean that she couldn't still find a suitable replacement for Gohan's affections. Though she knew that deep down, there was a part of her that still really liked him, she knew he deserved better than that. He deserved someone who could reciprocate them a hundred percent. All she had to do now was find someone.

Her plan was to walk to Erasa's house, and have to gossip queen of Orange Star High School help her pick a girl for Gohan. But, her plan was foiled by the beeping of her watch. Apparently, some punks hijacked a bus full of elderly tourists. What kind of sick minded freak did that? She burst through the front doors, headed for the gate, only to be stopped by reporters. There were dozens of reporters, all waiting outside the gates. They all wanted inside details of her new found relationship. She shouted at them to get out of the way, but they were persistent. If she wanted out, she'd have to answer their questions. But, being the proud girl that she was, she just un-capsulated her jet-copter, and took off from the front lawn. The reporters were disappointed, but she couldn't care less right then. She had a bus full of elderly people to take care of. And, though she hated to admit it, since it seemed so shallow, but she was excited to see Saiyaman as well. The elderly people should have come first in her list of priorities, but some stupid insistent part of her wanted to see Saiyaman so badly. It wanted to talk to him, and sort out their situation. Were they dating? Did that kiss mean anything? She needed to know. And she intended to figure out.

It didn't take her long to track down the bus. It was swerving all over the road, which was she figured, because of the hijackers. Clearly, they had taken the regular bus driver out. She needed to do something fast, because those elderly passengers did not deserve what was happening. They'd signed up for a lovely tour, and now they were part of a police chase across the country side. They'd left the city ten minutes before Videl had been able to catch up to them. The police, though, had been hot on their trail. Now, all she needed was a foolproof plan that would result in the elderly passengers not dying. They were the hostages in this situation. She needed a plan, and fast. One of the hijackers was shooting out the window at the following police vehicles.

While he was distracted, she decided to go down by the roof. She had picked up the chief, on her way out of the city, and she left him to take control of her jet-copter, before jumping out of the machine, and landing on the roof of the bus. Unfortunately, the landing wasn't as silent as she'd hoped it would be, and the hijacker started sending off rounds at the ceiling. Videl ran as quickly and as quietly as she could until the hijacker lost track of her, and was firing off at random. It wasn't long before he ran out of bullets, and that was when Videl made her move. She swung herself off the roof, and in through one of the side windows. She was lucky enough to have broken through a window without cutting herself, or sent glass over any hostages. She took out the hijacker—a tall man, in a purple jacket, and a mop of dark hair—easily enough, and left him unconscious in the middle of the bus. Her attention was drawn to the front of the bus by an elderly lady.

"I must have a picture of you for my scrapbook," she said, taking a picture of the other two hijackers. They posed for the picture, the shorter one with his bandana covering his face, and his rooster-like hat, and the bigger guy, who was supposed to be driving the bus. Once the picture was taken, Videl swooped in, knocking the two unconscious as well.

"Oh, it's Videl," the same elderly lady said, pulling out her camera again. "I must have your picture dear."

Blushing, Videl smiled sheepishly for the picture. As she took it, the bus jerked forward.

_Oh no!_

Videl turned around, and saw the problem. There was no driver, and the bus was headed over the cliff. She jumped on the brakes, but it wasn't fast enough. The back set of wheels skidded over the edge of the cliff too, leaving the bus in open air.

She sunk to her knees.

_I failed._

_I failed all of these people._

_I failed myself._

_I failed Saiyaman_.

She would have continued to berate herself, but it was at that moment that she realized they weren't falling anymore.

_Am I dead? Somehow I thought it would hurt more than that._

Her thoughts were brought to a halt when an elderly man pointed out the window.

"Look," he shouted. "It's the singing man!"

"Saiyaman," Videl corrected instantly. Then it sunk in. "Saiyaman is here?"

"Yes," a lady answered. "He's holding up the whole bus. My, you've got a strong man out there, Miss Videl."

"I do, don't I?" Videl said with a smile, before rushing to the window to see that Saiyaman was in fact holding up the bus.

_I don't think even my father could hold up a bus like that. He makes it look effortless. Maybe he _is_ stronger than my dad,_ she thought happily.

Saiyaman brought the bus back up to the top of the cliff, and pried the door open, so the passengers could climb out. There were many happy comments about how this was such an exciting tour, and that they'd have something to tell their grandchildren.

He smiled, noting that none of them seemed to be injured. But his brow furrowed, when he realized Videl wasn't there.

"Saiyaman," a voice came from behind him.

He turned to see Videl. The relief was clear on his face. A big smile spread across her own, as she ran at him. She threw her arms around his neck, and he threw his around her waist, and spun her in the air.

"You're okay," he whispered.

"Thanks to you," she responded. "Again."

"Let's try not to make a habit of almost dying, Miss Videl," he said with a smile. "I might not be there every time."

"How _are_ you always here?" Videl asked, confused.

"I sense your ki," he said, though she could tell he wasn't being entirely truthful. But for once, she didn't feel like prying. He'd just saved her life for the third time in three days, after all. He deserved some respect for that.

"Whatever," she said, dismissing the topic. She kissed his cheek, and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, for always saving me."

"It's not a problem," he said, hugging her tightly. It was then that she noticed he was using_ both_ arms.

"Didn't you get shot yesterday?" she asked, looking over his arms. They were both perfect, not even a scratch on them.

"Yes, I did," he said awkwardly.

"But, you don't look injured," she pointed out.

"I know," he said. "That's because it's healed already."

"But, that's not humanly possible," she shouted.

"I know," he said again. That made her stop and think. Not humanly possible? What does he mean? Is he saying he's not human? But that's impossible.

"Saiyaman," she asked, awhile later, pushing her thoughts to the back burner. She'd mull over them later. Now, she had some pressing matters to discuss.

"Yes, Miss Videl," he said, nervously.

"I have something to ask you," she said quietly.

"Me too," he said. "But you can go first."

"Okay," she said. She found herself nervously rocking back and forth. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped, and berated herself for being so weak. She shouldn't be nervous. After all, she was pretty sure he felt the same way.

"Will you go on a date with me?" she forced herself to say. "You know, be my boyfriend or something."

He was shocked. She could tell. But she was hoping he would at least answer her. She could almost swear she saw a confused pain flit through his eyes before he came to his decision. A soft smile found its way to grace his lips.

"I'd love to."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/A:** I really appreciate all of the reviews I've gotten. It blew my mind. I've nearly gotten double this week what I normally get. So I have to send out a big thank you to everyone.

Now, A-man, I know what you're saying. And a blade would have been much more likely to hurt him, but…I couldn't come up with a reason for a common criminal to be carrying a sword or knife, or a set of arrows, so I had to settle with a bullet. I figured that humans depend on guns, because they think it will win against everything. I don't know. It just seemed to me to be the weapon of choice. And I also understand that it wasn't a flame…and I _do_ understand that everyone's not going to like everything I write. I do want to be a writer someday. This is just me testing my boundaries. Since I couldn't get passed chapter five, I decided to write a fanfiction, so I could see how far I could bring myself to write. So far, so good, I'd say. But at this point, just about anything will be a good enough excuse for me to stop. I'm severely lacking in motivation. I want to write the chapters, and will force myself to anyway, for my faithful reviewers, and the readers who don't leave a review too! I'm fine with that, though reviews are fun, and give me feedback. And I know that one (or two) slightly negative responses aren't enough to give up fully. But I won't lie and say that it never crossed my mind.

I don't really know how much longer the story is going to be, but I'm not going to make half-hearted chapters either. I'm going to finish this story, and try to make it good. So no worries there. I need to test myself. And this is the ultimate test. Taking negatives and rejections and the like, and pushing forwards anyway. Oddly enough, I had a ton of fun writing this chapter, and am well into the next chapter. So, there may be hope for me yet!

P.S. A-man, how do you review so often on one chapter? I got like three last week, and it just confuses me. I thought you could only review once…

Anyway, sorry for the super long author's note…I didn't mean for it to get out of hand there. So, without any further comment from me, on with chapter ten!

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Ten**_:

Videl was excited. Not only was she going on a date with the guy she finally chose, but she'd picked the perfect girl to get poor Gohan off of her back. It had taken her a lot of thought, but she was absolutely positive that this girl was the one. Gohan couldn't say no to her. She wasn't athletic, like Videl was, but she figured Gohan would be able to overlook that for her beauty. This girl was stunning. And Gohan was shy, so she made sure to pick a girl that was more free-spirited. She just knew that this girl would be able to bring him out of his shell. And keep him distracted. She didn't want to hurt him.

And that was her problem. She'd never had any trouble turning someone down before. It was like a second nature. Sharpener was the perfect example of that. He asked her out almost religiously. And she turned him down without a thought. But she just couldn't do that to Gohan. And it was starting to bug her. She didn't like him anymore. She told herself this over and over. But she couldn't help it.

Saiyaman may be the one she chose, but there was something about Gohan that made it impossible for her to actually turn him down. That's why she had spent the whole day desperately trying to think of the perfect girl. The girl that would be able to turn his affections away from her.

This is what she wanted. No. This is what she _needed_.

And she figured it out. Erasa was her first thought, but she couldn't bring herself to actually go through with that plan. She may not like Gohan—or so she kept telling herself—but she the thought of her best friend being with him…somehow, it just rubbed her the wrong way. He needed to get with someone she wasn't particularly close to.

And that was where this girl came in. She was absolutely perfect!

Videl made her way through the classroom, and headed towards her seat.

"Hey, Angela," she called. "I have a proposition for you."

* * *

Lime was confused. She didn't understand what went wrong. Gohan and Videl should have been absolutely natural. There shouldn't have been any questions asked. But somehow, Saiyaman was added to the equation. And she wasn't so sure that it was a good thing.

Saiyaman was Gohan. Gohan liked Videl. But now Videl liked Saiyaman. Somehow, Gohan managed to get himself stuck in a love triangle. With himself. And unfortunately, he was losing. It almost wasn't fair.

"Gohan," she asked quietly, so no one would overhear. "Why did you say yes?"

"I _had_ to, Lime," he said exasperatedly. It wasn't the first time he'd been faced with that question. He'd been asking himself since it happened. And Bulma had been asking him too. And no matter how many times he was asked, he could only come up with one answer. He simply _had_ to say yes. "It could've been my only shot. I _had _to take that chance. I know it was stupid. But _she_ actually asked _me_! That might never happen again. So…yeah."

"But Gohan," Lime countered. "You can't start a relationship built on lies."

"I haven't lied to her," he argued.

"But you haven't been a hundred percent truthful either. She doesn't know that _you_ are the one she asked. She _thinks_ it's someone else. She's even under the impression that Saiyaman is his name. You can't tell me that you want to start like that. It's just so…so wrong," Lime said. She wasn't sure how to go about this. It was a very delicate situation.

"Lime, I like her," Gohan said quietly. "A lot more than should be possible. I mean I've only really met her a week ago. I shouldn't be in so deep yet. But I _am_. And I can't bring myself to give up what could be my only chance with her. Okay? She made it very clear that she doesn't like _Gohan_. But she does like Saiyaman. Saiyaman is who I am. I'm not the nerd that I may come across as at school. I just want her to like _me._ Is that so bad?"

"No," Lime had to admit. "But you should still tell her. It could hurt her to find out she's fallen for someone other than who she thought. I just don't want you to hurt the two of you when the truth finally comes out."

"I'll tell her," Gohan told her determined. "But just not yet. I want to have at least one date with her, where she doesn't freak out at me."

"One date," Lime said strictly. "Then you tell her."

"If the moment is right," Gohan said, before the teacher called them to attention. Lime went down to her seat, with a frustrated glare. Gohan had a hard time keeping his eyes on his notebook as Videl slid into her seat, just two seats down. She'd been talking with that Angela girl. It was out of character for her. Aside from Erasa and Lime, Videl tended to stay away from the girls in their class.

Gohan didn't know what was up, but he was going to find out…

* * *

It wasn't until the teacher dismissed the class for lunch, that the situation was made clear to Gohan. Angela walked up to him the instant the bell rang, and was just short of batting her eyelashes as she looked up at him.

"Hello," she said with an award winning smile. It would have worked on just about anyone. But Gohan wasn't falling for it.

"Hi, Angela," he said looking down the stairs toward Lime, who was waiting at the doorway for him.

"You know my name?" she asked excitedly. "I thought Videl was kidding."

_Videl huh…?_

"Really? What did Videl say?" he asked hesitantly. Just what did that girl get him into?

"She said that you had a great big crush on me. I didn't think it was true, of course. I mean, we haven't really met. But she said you did. And you know my name. So, do you want to go on a date with me? Videl said you did."

Gohan shook his head slowly from side to side, and couldn't keep a smirk from spreading across his face.

_She's clever. I'll give her that._

"She did, did she?" Gohan asked.

If his smirk bothered Angela, she didn't let it show.

"Yep, she did. She said you were just too scared to come and ask me. But that's silly. You don't need to be scared of little ol' me. I'm not gonna hurt ya. So, if you wanted to ask me out, now would be a good time to do it," she said with an angelic smile.

"You see," Gohan started hesitantly. "I kind of already have a girlfriend…"

_Saiyaman is me, so I do…right?_

"But that's not what Videl said. Who is she? I'll bet its Lime. You and Lime probably didn't want Videl to know, so she's using me to find out. That would be so like her too," Angela said, looking downwards.

_Videl wouldn't do that,_ Gohan thought, biting back a growl.

"I'm not dating Lime," Gohan said for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

_Why do people always think that?_

"Then who is she?"

"Umm…well," Gohan started. _Great, what do I say now? I can't say Videl. Angela would freak out…and Videl would freak out if news got to her…_ "It's kind of complicated…"

"There isn't a girl is there. Videl just lied to me, didn't she?" Angela said. "Why won't you go out with me? Is it because I'm not pretty enough? You think I'm ugly!"

"Angela, that's not what I said," Gohan countered.

"But you do don't you. You think I'm ugly, that's why you won't go out with me!"

"That's not it at all," Gohan pleaded.

"Then why won't you," she said through tear-filled eyes.

"I told you, I have a girlfriend," Gohan said exasperatedly. "I can't."

"If you have a girlfriend, can't you tell me her name? 'It's complicated' is what people say when they're just making it up," Angela said.

"I can't tell you," he admitted.

"So there's no reason? You just won't go out with me?"

"No, I can't go out with you."

"If you don't go out with me, I'll tell everyone your secret!" Angela shouted suddenly.

"W-what secret?" Gohan asked hesitantly.

"I'll tell everyone just what you were wearing last Friday. Don't try and deny it. I know it's true. I saw you," she said. All evidence of her cute and charming self were gone. In its place, was a conniving little devil.

_Talk about your split personalities. She reminds me of Launch…_

"U-uh, Angela, I can't go out with you, it wouldn't be right," Gohan tried as a last ditch effort.

"Then I hope you don't mind if I told everyone your secret," she said, raising her eyebrow.

"You can't!" Gohan shouted in a panic.

_If word got out that I'm Saiyaman, Videl will hate me for sure. She can't find out this way!_

"Then you'll meet me at six, tonight," Angela said with a smirk. "At the train station. If you don't show, I'll tell everyone. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like there's no way I can refuse," Gohan sighed.

"Good," she said, and she sauntered out of the room.

Gohan sullenly walked down the stairs, and met up with Lime. "I have another date tonight," he muttered sadly. "I can't get out of it."

"I told you to tell Videl," Lime said, sympathetically. "You might have to postpone one of them. You can't be in two places at once."

"But I can't postpone the one I don't want," Gohan said. "If I don't show, Angela will tell everyone that I'm Saiyaman."

"How did she even find out?" Lime asked confused.

"I don't know," Gohan admitted. "Apparently, I wasn't as careful with my changes as I thought I was."

* * *

The two met up with the rest of their gang outside. They'd already started eating. Videl looked up from her rice, with a knowing smirk. Her plan had worked. She had to wiggle under Gohan's betraying stare. He knew. She was sure of it. And he wasn't happy with her meddling.

She wasn't too happy with it herself. And that was why she needed this. She was too attached to Gohan. She couldn't fully commit to her new boyfriend if she still had unresolved feelings for another guy. It was so complicated. But she was forcing herself to get over Gohan, no matter what it takes.

"What's got you so down, Gohan?" Erasa asked, noting his sour mood.

"I'm being forced into a date," Gohan muttered without thinking. He regretted it as soon as it left his mouth though. He just opened up another can of questions he didn't feel like answering.

"No one can force you into a date," Sharpener said.

"If they use blackmail, they can," Lime argued, trying, and failing, to be helpful.

Sharpener snorted. "What kind of blackmail can anyone use on you, nerd-boy? You're like the perfect student. You're too smart for your own good. You think studying is fun. And you've got your brother that made you likeable from day one."

"That was oddly kind of you," Videl noted. But she was confused.

_How on Earth is Angela blackmailing him? There shouldn't have been a problem. It was supposed to go off without a hitch. I need answers._

"Well, I don't have to worry about _him_ stealing my girl. I've got to worry about Saiyaman," Sharpener said, offhandedly. Lime and Gohan held back a laugh. If he only knew…

"I'm not your girl," Videl growled. "I'm_ Saiyaman's_ girlfriend now."

Gohan couldn't help but wince at that. It sounded so wrong. His little wince didn't go unnoticed by Videl. She bit back a sigh. She'd really wanted this to work.

"It won't be long, you know," Sharpener argued. "He'll be so terrible, that you'll be begging for me to save you from him."

"She's got her dad," Erasa pointed out with a chuckle. "She'd trust him to save her before you. But Saiyaman isn't like that. Is he Gohan?" She asked, looking for back-up.

"No," Gohan said with a sigh.

"No, he's not," Lime agreed, before anyone would notice Gohan's lack of interest. "But, I can't help but wonder who he _really_ is."

"What do you mean?" Erasa asked, before Videl got a chance to.

"I just have this feeling that Saiyaman is just his disguise," Lime said with a shrug. "I'm sure his personality is real, I'm just concerned that Videl is getting in too deep with him. She doesn't know anything about him."

"I'm sure she knows enough," Gohan argued. "I'm sure she thought everything through well in advance before asking him to date her. She's not stupid."

"But all she knows is that he was at the Cell Games," Lime said, defensively. She didn't think Gohan would go on the offense.

"She knows that he's strong," Gohan pointed out. "Maybe strong enough to 'rival' her father. And he obviously cares about her. They did make front page news and all. Plus, he saved her life, he's not about to go dump her or turn on her."

Videl watched in confusion. Wasn't Gohan in love with her or something? Didn't he want to date her? It sure seemed like it. But he was defending Saiyaman. It didn't make any sense. Did he just want her to be happy? Well, if he did, it was awfully mature of him.

"That's not enough to base a relationship off of," Lime started, but Videl interrupted before she could finish.

"I know more about him that you think," she said calmly. "I know that he's super powerful, but I also know he's kind, and generous, and sweet. He's got the same sense of justice that I do. And I know he's not exactly human."

She'd said the last part in a whisper. She'd hoped that no one had heard. She'd just been on a roll. She hadn't meant to reveal any secrets. And no one had heard her…except for Gohan. He quickly finished off his lunch, before standing to leave.

"We've got that in common," he said mysteriously, before leaving. She was a clever girl, he was sure she'd figure it out sooner or later. It was the only clue he could bring himself to give her, not until after their date…

He groaned as he remembered his two conflicting dates for the evening. _What am I supposed to do?_

"Way to think highly of yourself, brains," Sharpener scoffed as Gohan left. Lime gave him a glare, before gathering up her things to follow after him.

"Leave him alone," she ordered, before running off.

"Yeah, Sharpener, you don't know what he means," Erasa commented.

"But _I_ do," Videl said quietly.

_He's not exactly human either. That's got to be how he heard me. He was the farthest away… Maybe that's why Lime was so upset. She knows who Saiyaman is! So does Gohan. Maybe Lime was trying to give me a clue…but Gohan didn't want her to. I'll have to ask him on our date. Oh my goodness…I've got a date tonight! What am I supposed to do? I should have planned that better. I can't ask Lime this time. She doesn't approve…oh great…_

* * *

"Gohan! Gohan, I'm sorry," Lime called, as she tried desperately to catch up with him. "I was just thinking about her. I didn't mean to make this harder on _you_."

"I know," he said, after what seemed like forever. "I wouldn't have changed a thing."

"Sharpener thinks you're full of yourself now," Lime said with a snicker. "And he still manages to think he'll get Videl's heart."

"Yeah," Gohan said half-heartedly. His mind was busy.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really. I'm trying to figure out a way to cancel with Angela," he admitted.

"Just use your in-class excuse. You've got a weak bladder or something. Spend your time evenly distributed between the two girls. For at least two hours, anyway. By then, you can safely say that you've got a long trip home, and say goodnight to Angela. You just cannot kiss her. You hear me? Do _not_ let her kiss you. You don't need to make things more complicated than they already are."

"I don't want to kiss her," he assured her. "I just want this date over with. Maybe I can be so terrible, that she never wants to date me again!"

"Just don't be too bad, okay?"

"I won't be rude or anything," Gohan said smirking. "But my Saiyan side might get to take the front seat for awhile."

Lime sighed and shook her head. Angela wouldn't want to be anywhere near him during the date. "So, you're taking her to dinner?"

"That's the plan."

* * *

"Videl," Erasa called to her best friend. She'd dived into Videl's closet the moment they made it to her place. "I think you should wear a dress. It might be nice for Saiyaman to see your legs. They're gorgeous you know."

"I'm not wearing a dress, Erasa," Videl shouted. "I don't want him to think perverted thoughts. And I might get called away."

"Then just ignore the chief," Erasa yelled back, nonchalantly. "It's your first real date. Not a bet like last time. I'm sure he'd understand."

"I can't! It's not like I can broadcast to all of the citizens 'attention, this is Videl speaking. I can't fight crime tonight, since I'm on a date. Sorry for the inconvenience.' That'll bring out the crooks for sure," Videl argued.

"What about a billowy skirt? You could wear some bicycle shorts underneath it, so you could just slip it off to fight crime," Erasa suggested.

"Whatever," Videl conceded. She knew Erasa could be persistent…and, though she was embarrassed to admit it, she kind of wanted Saiyaman to be attracted to her.

"Good," Erasa said, pulling out a beautiful sky blue skirt. "I'm glad you see things my way. Now, put this on. Then I'll do your hair and make-up."

"No make-up. I won't stand for it," Videl said.

"Fine," Erasa sighed. Even she knew when to quit. "Just your hair then. We can't have it the same as normal. I mean, it just wouldn't match your skirt. It's too…sporty I think."

"Whatever," Videl sighed. She just wanted to get this part of the evening over with.

_Soon it will be over, and I'll get to have my date with Saiyaman. I wonder if he'll admit to knowing Lime and Gohan…or if he'll tell me what he is. He isn't human, that's for sure._

"Videl, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes, Erasa, I'm listening to you," Videl lied.

"Okay, so will you?"

"Will I what?"

"See, I knew you weren't listening," Erasa smiled. "I asked if you'd see if he has any hot friends interested in blondes. I don't want to get left behind with Sharpener. Especially if the two of us could double."

"Is that even something you can ask on a first date?" Videl asked in confusion.

"Sure it is. It's not like the two of you are just meeting," Erasa reasoned. "You've gotten to know each other over this past week, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"I'll see if what I can do. But I'm not making any promises," Videl warned.

"That's all I can ask," Erasa said with a knowing smile. "But, I want all the details of this date, the moment you get home, do you understand? It's not every day that your best friend goes on a date with a superhero after all."

"But," Videl protested. "What if it's too late to call?"

"How late do you plan on being with this boy?" Erasa asked mischievously.

"Don't think like _that_!" Videl gasped. "I just don't know what we're doing yet, so I can't be sure what time I'll be back. Kami, Erasa, get your head out of the gutter."

"_My_ head wasn't in the gutter, Videl," Erasa giggled.

"Whatever," Videl said blushing a deep red. "Mine wasn't either. Not until _you_ put it there."

"You are just too cute when you blush!" Erasa gushed. "Okay, its five forty five now. When are you supposed to meet him?"

"Seven," Videl replied.

"So, we've got an hour and fifteen minutes to go over the dos and don'ts of a first date," Erasa exclaimed. "How does that sound?"

"Honestly," Videl admitted. "That sounds pretty good."

"Then let's get started."

* * *

It was a quarter to six, and Gohan was standing nervously at the train station. He wanted to turn Angela off him so badly. This, of course, would explain why he was going the alien route on their date. He even went so far as to visit Vegeta and Bulma before the date. Vegeta told him what to do in order to scare the earthling away…which deemed far too scarring for Angela to take, so he went with Bulma's nerdy/alien route. She gave him a set of Saiyan armour. It looked kind of like the armour Krillin wore while on Namek. It had the skirt-like protection that would be able to hide some of his muscles, while still looking far stranger than Vegeta's typical armour did. He was also wearing a black spandex bodysuit underneath it. Vegeta had given his opinion, and though he was pleased to see 'Kakarrott's' brat look like a Saiyan warrior, he opted to give him a prototype scouter that Bulma had been working on. Bulma had nearly burst out laughing at the overall getup. If she hadn't known he _was_ a Saiyan warrior, she would have passed him off as a role-playing teenage nerd.

It was perfect.

If Angela thought he was cute before, she wasn't going to think so after this date. He was going to eat like a Saiyan at their all-you-can-eat restaurant of choice, and he was going to spout random facts that she wouldn't care about, let alone understand. And he was going to walk around in his armour. His school reputation didn't matter to him right now. He was more worried about his date with Videl later on. He wasn't going to be wearing his typical mask. Bulma thought that it was his 'work uniform' and opted to dress him differently. She thought he should take on a 'bad boy' style, and dressed him accordingly. He had a black leather jacket, ripped black jeans and a pair of sunglasses to wear for seven.

If Angela didn't come soon, he was going to go insane. He was already getting strange looks from everyone that saw him. And he didn't particularly like them.

"Hello, mister," came a familiar—yet irritating—voice.

"Hi, Angela," Gohan said smirking. "I didn't think you'd make it."

"Is that what you're going to wear?"

"Of course," Gohan said. "This is my best armour. And _everyone_ knows that armour is a Saiyan's best formal wear."

"Wait," Angela said, looking him over. "_What _are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Gohan, son of the third class Saiyan Kakarrott, and am a Saiyan warrior."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/A: **Okay, I'd like to start by thanking you for all the reviews from the last chapter. They mean a lot. And I'd like to say that this chapter just flew by while I was writing it. I had it done the day after the last one, that's how excited I was to write it. I'm getting my excitement for this story back, which is a good thing. I just finished up chapter twelve, and am starting chapter thirteen, so no worries about a hiatus for awhile :-P. The story is actually starting to come to a close in my writing, I'm thinking that I'll only have about four more chapters to write after this one…if that. So, I hope you all stick around until the end!

Without any more rambling on my part, I give you chapter 11:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Eleven**_:

"What is that supposed to mean?" Angela shouted in frustration.

"I'm an alien," Gohan said in the simplest words he could manage.

"This is a joke right? You've got other clothing somewhere else?"

"No," Gohan said, feigning innocence. "I thought you wanted me to dress up…?"

"Yes, but in a suit or dress pants, not full out nerdy body armour!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Oh," Gohan mock sighed. "I guess you don't want to go on that date after all. I'll just be going then…"

"Not so fast," Angela said, before he could get two steps away. "I'm going to look passed this whole getup, and we can get this date on as scheduled. I don't want to hurt your feelings."

_Drat, why does she still want to go with me? I'm made a fool out of myself for nothing… unless…_

He pressed the button on his scouter. Numbers started flashing, as it focussed in on Angela.

"Three, huh?" Gohan murmured. "You're not even as powerful as my _mom_. I'll bet Videl is at least a thirty. It's just disgraceful."

"Well, what are you then. A nerd like you," she said drifting off. She'd finally noticed his muscles. "Whoa, you're ripped Gohan."

"I know," he said. "A Saiyan warrior must be in his best shape, no matter what. Times of peace can lead people into a false sense of security. I'm not fooled by such things."

"You know, this whole 'Saiyan' thing is kind of hot," Angela said after some thought. "Can anyone get in on it? Or is it a strict thing?"

"Very strict," Gohan said quickly. "There are only four of us on the planet. You have to possess certain qualifications…" He looked her up and down. "And you clearly don't possess them."

"I could do it, if I put my mind to it," she protested.

"We'll see," Gohan said with a smirk. "Let's find an all you can eat restaurant."

"Why would we go to a buffet on a date?"

"The way to a 'man's' heart is through his stomach," Gohan said simply, before making his way to the nearest restaurant that fit his qualifications.

_If my eating doesn't get rid of her, nothing will_.

The two were seated quickly, though Gohan was again given many strange looks. He honestly didn't understand what was so strange. There were bears and tigers that walked around like human beings, yet a teenage boy dressed in alien clothing was enough to invoke staring.

Once they were seated, Gohan started to gorge himself on the food. No matter what Angela said, she couldn't get him to hear her. It was as if his attention span only reached as far as his stomach. She watched in awe as he packed away plate after plate, while she was only able to eat one and a half. He just kept going and going. It was so strange.

Finally, after a half hour of constant eating, he slowed to a crawl.

"You didn't eat very much," he commented.

"I ate more than usual," she protested.

"Hmm…and you thought you could be a Saiyan," he scoffed.

"Is eating a truck full of food a requirement to join your alien band of 'warriors'" Angela asked.

"Yeah," Gohan said. "It's one of the big ones. It's a tell-tale sign."

"Whatever," Angela murmured. "I never really wanted to be part of that anyway.

"Good," Gohan said. "What do you want to do now?"

"We could watch a movie," Angela said, suddenly brightening.

_A movie? Good. That way I can just sneak out and meet up with Videl. I only have to deal with an hour or so more…so when the movie's done, I'll send her home. And then I can spend the rest of my time with Videl._

"Sounds great."

* * *

Videl was nervous. Her father had decided that he was going to meet this 'Saiyaman' character, and refused to let Videl out of his sight, in case she decided to sneak off to meet him. It was imperative that he meet the young man that stole his daughter's heart. He had to be sure that this guy was worth it. And that he would never hurt his little girl.

There was a reason why he didn't want his daughter dating anyone that was weaker than himself. He wanted to be sure she'd always be protected. But more importantly, he didn't want to lose his only family. There were so many years where she was the only thing he had. And he knew he hadn't shown it enough. He was always so busy, trying to keep up public appearances. There were so many things he wished he could do over…

And if this 'Saiyaman' was the delivery boy from the Cell Games, taking credit for defeating Cell was definitely one of them.

"Daddy," Videl whined. She didn't like having to resort to cutesy, girly antics, but this was a dire situation. She didn't want her father to go crazy and attack her first-ever boyfriend. It wouldn't go over too well. Plus, there was a small part of her that was absolutely sure that Siayaman would be able to take her father out without a problem.

"What now, sweet pea?" he asked, without slowing. He was pacing the room, much to Videl's annoyance.

"Can you maybe meet him next time? I don't want you to scare him away," Videl pleaded.

"If my presence can scare him off, he's not worth your time."

"But, daddy," she protested.

"No," he said firmly. "I'm meeting him. Every father wants what's best for his little girl. And if you want this young man, I won't stop you. But I will make sure he's worthy of you."

"I guess that's fair," Videl admitted grudgingly. "Even if I don't like it."

"Thank you."

It was then that the doorbell rang.

_Oh, he's here!_ Videl though inwardly. On the outside, however, one wouldn't believe she had even noticed. If her father hadn't been there, she might have been jumping up and down, completely frazzled with nerves. But since he was, she had to remain as calm and collected as normal. She didn't want him to think she was _excited_ or something crazy like that. Even if she was…

"You stay here, Videl," Hercule said. "I'll go and get him. I can't have you sneaking off with him. I have to meet him first."

"Yes dad," Videl sighed. "I thought we'd already accomplished that."

"Right," Hercule said nervously. He had to be on his best behaviour. After all, this boy could be the one that actually deserved the title Hercule had given himself.

"Go on dad," Videl said. "I want to go already."

Hercule managed a nod, before rushing off to the door. He took a minute to calm himself, before he pried the door open. "Ah, you must be this Saiyaman I've been hearing about in the news."

"That would be me sir," Gohan said. He was starting to regret letting Bulma pick his clothing. He didn't want to appear like a delinquent in front of Hercule. He was supposed to be a good kid. Now his sort-of-girlfriend's father was going to ban him from ever seeing his daughter again.

"Okay, come on in. I'd like to have a little talk before you leave with my daughter."

"Yes, sir."

"First off, before we get to Videl," Hercule started nervously. "Are the rumours correct in saying that you're the Delivery Boy from the Cell Games?"

"Yes sir," Gohan said dangerously close to smirking.

"Um, right," Hercule said. "So, if you are really him, you can tell me how I defeated him?"

"You didn't," Gohan said plainly.

_Drat! It's actually him._

"Right. Good answer. At least I know you're telling the truth when you made that claim," Hercule told the boy.

"At least _one_ of us tells the truth, sir," Gohan said.

"A-ah, right. A-about that," Hercule whispered, as they neared the room Videl was patiently waiting in. "Could you not bring that up? I don't want her to think any differently of me."

"_I_ won't bring it up. But if she asks, I'm not going to lie to her," Gohan warned.

"I suppose that's fair," Hercule sighed.

The two made their way back into the room with Videl. She stood up immediately, and Gohan nearly fell over in shock. A skirt! She was wearing a skirt. She put away her pride, and allowed Erasa to force her into a skirt. Just for him.

"Wow," he managed to say. "You look…amazing."

Videl blushed a deep crimson. "Thank you, Saiyaman. You do too."

Hercule roughly cleared his throat. He didn't particularly like where things were going already. The least they could have done was wait for him to leave the room. He knew his daughter was beautiful, but he didn't want some masked punk to comment on it.

Had Gohan not been in his Super Saiyan state, he would've been blushing as well. But it still took effort to focus his power…however miniscule that effort may be. Besides, he couldn't ruin the disguise. Gohan blushed far too often to be normal, therefore, Saiyaman couldn't. They had to be as different as night and day. Or else someone might notice.

"Er, right," Gohan muttered.

Videl motioned for him to take a seat on the couch, so he walked carefully passed her father, and sat down, just as she did. He was careful to keep some distance between them. He couldn't have Hercule thinking that they were too close yet. As far as he knew, Hercule didn't even know about their _very_ public first, second and third kisses.

"Daddy," Videl said, making Gohan do a double-take. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time in that karaoke restaurant all those years ago. He hadn't seen her acting so innocent, and vulnerable since that day. But he knew for sure that her love for her father hadn't lessened any over time. He wondered idly if she could still sing…

It was that train of thought that caused him to miss Videl asking her father to get their interrogation over with. He'd also missed Hercule's first question.

Videl elbowed him in the side, making her wince. "Kami, Saiyaman, what are you made of," she muttered.

"Flesh and blood," Gohan answered, causing Hercule to look at him strangely.

"Saiyaman," Videl said calmly. "My father asked you where you were taking me tonight."

"Oh," Gohan said, mentally smacking himself. "I don't really know. I figured Videl would know the city better than I do. I was going to let her decide what we were doing."

"Hmm," Hercule said, mulling it over. It seemed like a good idea to him. "Good plan."

"Thank you," Gohan mumbled awkwardly.

"And, now, what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Gohan's mouth dropped open. What in the world was he supposed to say to that? "Great galaxies, sir," he stammered. "I just wanted to go out and have a fun night with her, I suppose."

Hercule's eyes widened, and then promptly narrowed into slits. Videl gasped in shock.

"No! No that's not what I meant," Gohan shouted suddenly, as the situation dawned on him. "I just…I'm really nervous, sir. I didn't mean anything disrespectful. I just wanted to go out and get to know your daughter. I didn't mean it in _that_ way."

"You better not, boy," Hercule said glaring at him. He no longer cared that this boy was strong enough to defeat Cell, when he—the great Hercule—wasn't even close. This boy was a potential threat to his daughter's honour, and be damned if he was going to let him do anything to her.

"I swear on my father's grave," Gohan shouted out, trying to prove his seriousness.

"Good," Hercule said, pleased with how scared the kid had gotten. What Hercule didn't realize, was that Gohan was trying to placate Videl, not him. He wanted her to feel safe with him.

"Saiyaman," Videl said. "We should get going. We don't want dad to get the wrong idea if we end up late. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, that's the best idea I've heard all night," Gohan said with a relieved sigh. He glanced at the clock on their way out. Seven thirty-eight. That wasn't so bad…there was a lot of awkward pauses with Hercule, but overall, it wasn't all that long. It's a good thing Angela had been so wrapped up in that movie…

Angela!

_Uh-oh, I've got to get back there soon. There's only so long you can use the washroom, no matter what your reason is._

"Um…Miss Videl," Gohan started awkwardly. "You know there's nothing I'd rather be doing right now…right?"

"Really?" Videl asked with a blush. Then something occurred to her. "But…?"

"Yeah, I really _do_ just want to be with you tonight, but you're right. There is something I need to take care of. It shouldn't take longer than ten to twenty minutes, and then I'll be yours for the rest of the night. How does that sound?" he asked, starting to ramble.

"Just go," she sighed. "I'll meet you downtown, alright? At that coffee shop by the police station…you know where that is right?"

"I know where the police station is," he clarified. "But I'll find you by tracking your energy. It shouldn't be a problem. I really _am_ sorry about all of this."

"Its fine," Videl said, even though she was slightly disappointed about it all.

"Okay," Gohan said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'll be right back, I swear. I'll make it up to you!"

"You better," Videl called out with a smile as he flew off into the sky. She sighed, but started walking to the police station. Maybe she'd have a talk with the chief before Saiyaman came back.

* * *

By the time Gohan made it back to the theatre, Angela was waiting outside the washroom. She didn't look too happy either. Gohan smiled. That was a good thing. He went over and bought a soft pretzel, before strolling over to her.

"Oh, hey Angela," he said smiling like a fool. "Is the movie over already? And here I was so excited to see it too. Oh well."

"You said you were going to the washroom forty minutes ago! I thought you'd gotten lost or something. I came out to check on you, and they won't let me back in to the movie," she exclaimed. "Now, enlighten me, what does a pretzel have to do with the washroom?"

"Nothing," Gohan said looking at her like she was crazy. "A washroom and a pretzel? Honestly, that's the strangest thing I've ever heard. I was just hungry, so I went and got one."

"You could have taken less time to get that pretzel! There's no line-up. I went and checked there earlier though…you weren't at the washroom at all, were you!" she accused.

"I was, Angela," Gohan said, defending himself to the best of his ability. He was a terrible liar. "We must have _just_ missed each other."

"Fine," Angela said, batting her eyelashes in another one of her mood swings. "Let's go and get some coffee then."

"Uh…" Gohan said lamely. _Videl is waiting for me at the coffee shop! I can't bring Angela there. What should I do?_

"Let's go," Angela said, dragging the Saiyan warrior along behind her. "It's not that far from here."

"Yeah, I know," Gohan said nervously.

"Here you are, being scared again," Angela said giggling. "I'm _not_ scary. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

_Not scary? Not scary my foot!_

"Er, right," Gohan said instead.

She continued to drag him behind her, until they noticed rather tall flames coming from the windows of a nearby building. Gohan nearly panicked.

"Videl," he gasped, before taking off at a run.

"Gohan, don't leave me here by myself!" Angela shouted after him. "Just because you're dressed up as an alien warrior, it doesn't mean you _are_ one!"

"That's what you think," he muttered as he ran behind a transport truck. After being sure no one could see him, he transformed into super, and hit the switch on his watch. Saiyaman emerged from behind the truck, flying at full speed towards the building.

_If there is any danger in this city, Videl is sure to be there._

He was right, of course. By the time he reached the top of the building, he saw Videl—still wearing the skirt she hadn't had time to discard—cowering as a water tank was crashing down above her.

"Videl!" he shouted, swooping under the tank, and lifting it up higher.

"Saiyaman? Oh, thank Kami you're here," she gasped. She would have hugged him, had there not been witnesses. "There's enough water in there, but the valve is stuck. I can't get it out. We need to stop these flames, and fast. I don't know how much longer the building will stay standing!"

"I'll take care of it. You check those people," he said motioning to the few people that had been trapped on the roof. "Make sure they're okay."

"Okay," Videl agreed, running to the people.

Gohan punched a hole into the side of the tank, and gently lowered it onto the rooftop. The water poured out in a rush, pouring down the side of the building. He made a few more holes in the tank, allowing the water to come out faster. While the water did its job, Gohan ran over to help Videl. The people were shaken, that much was certain, but otherwise, they seemed to be fine. Shock wasn't much when compared to life threatening injuries.

"Saiyaman, how are we going to get them down?" Videl asked, thoroughly shaken herself.

"I'll fly them down, I guess. You're jet copter won't hold this many people, and we can't risk the added weight. The building could topple at any minute," Gohan said. He wanted to take Videl down first, but she was already pushing the children towards him. He should have known that she would want to put the others before herself. She'd only been doing it for practically her entire life. She wouldn't put her safety first now.

He scooped up the three children, and ran for the edge. One screamed in terror, while the other two laughed with excitement. Gohan could hear their mother shrieking behind him. She obviously didn't trust the half-Saiyan. He could hear Videl yelling at her to calm down, as he jumped off the building, slowing his fall with his ki. His trip was a total of thirty seconds, before he was back on the rooftop, taking the hysteric woman into his arms, as well as a younger, business woman. That left him with three men—one larger than the rest—and Videl. He hurried to drop of the women, not being as careful as he was with the children. Adults weren't nearly as breakable as children were. He watched as the woman tore herself from his arms, and ran to her children; the other woman thanked him before being ushered off by the paramedics. The two smaller men came first. They were shocked that he was able to carry the two of them. One of them fancied himself a bodybuilder, and the other was quite tall. He smirked, as he dropped them off even faster than the women. Videl was still up there after all. The larger man came next. Videl refused to leave until that man was safely on the ground.

"If you drop him because you're worried about me," she said. "I'll never forgive myself."

He sighed, but did as she asked. The flames were mostly extinguished by now, but the building was worse for wear. It was merely a skeleton of what it once was. The second the man was on the ground, he was back in the air. Something was going to happen soon, he was sure of it.

And he was right. The lower level's supports collapsed, causing the building to tilt to the side. Videl's shocked scream was heard by everyone. Gohan pushed himself to fly faster. He had to save her. She fell over the edge, and was headed down to the pavement when he scooped her into his arms.

"I've got you," he murmured, trying to stop her shaking.

"T-thank y-you," she stammered. "I w-was so s-scared."

"You don't need to be scared anymore, okay? I've got you," he said again, as they landed. The press was rushing at them from all sides, as were the police and paramedics. Everyone wanted to be sure that the daughter of the champ was alive.

"I'm going to give you to the paramedics, okay? I need to know you're alright," he asked her. When she nodded, he stood her up, only for her knees to give way under her. Gohan caught her, and motioned for a paramedic to come over to her. When he was sure she was safe, he slipped away. He _really_ needed to get rid of Angela. He didn't want to leave Videl any longer than he needed to.

He snuck into an alleyway, and changed back into his Saiyan armour. He was careful when he left to not catch too much attention. But, at the same time, he didn't want people to suspect him of foul play.

_Where is Angela?_ he thought to himself frantically.

"Hey, you," he heard from behind him. His heart was hammering in his chest. It was Videl!

"Y-yeah," Gohan said, turning around. "Hi V-Videl."

"Gohan?" she said in astonishment. "What in the world are you wearing?"

"Saiyan battle armour…" he said embarrassed.

"Saiyan? Oh! Like Saiyaman," Videl said excited. "_You_ know who he is, don't you?"

"Yes…I do," Gohan said.

"Can you tell me?"

"No, it's probably best if you wait for him to tell you," Gohan said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh…" Videl said downcast. "Do you at least know where he went?"

He didn't want to lie to her. But he couldn't tell her that _he_ was Saiyaman. It just didn't seem like the right time. Especially since _she_ was the one that forced him to be on that second date.

"Gohan! There you are," Angela said, running at him. She skidded to a stop though, when she noticed Videl standing beside him. "Oh. You left me behind so you could find the girl you _really_ like. I really liked you Gohan, and you sneak off to get a kiss from Videl! How could you. And after I swore to keep your secret too."

"Angela," Videl started.

"It's not like that," Gohan said nervously.

"Videl," Angela said, ignoring both of them. "Would you like to know a little secret about Gohan? Hmm?"

"No, you can't tell her," Gohan said frantically.

"I'm going to Gohan," Angela said, frowning at him.

"But," Gohan argued.

"Gohan, it can't be so bad," Videl said.

"He wears teddy bear underwear!" Angela shouted above the two of them.

"What?" Gohan asked in confusion.

"That's the secret she couldn't tell me?" Videl asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No," Gohan said utterly confused by the whole thing. "That's the secret you used to blackmail me into a date? And here I went to all this trouble to get _you_ to want me to leave, and it was some underwear? I thought you knew my big secret…"

His eyes widened as he realized what he was saying.

"So, you have a big secret, huh?" Videl said. He shook his head quickly, but it was obvious. There was a big secret hidden somewhere. "If I weren't trying to find Saiyaman right now for our date, I would make you tell me. As it stands, you're free to go. But, I promise you, I _will_ figure it out."

Gohan gulped as he watched her walk away. Angela tried to kick him in the shin for being such a terrible boyfriend, but she only succeeded in hurting her foot.

* * *

Saiyaman and Videl's date however went over much better than Gohan and Angela's. Not once did Saiyaman get kicked in the shin, and he didn't storm out on Videl anymore. Not after the first two times anyway. It was kind of nerve racking though. They were both too nervous to do too much. Videl even found herself fiddling with her skirt at times. She was absolutely shocked at herself.

Saiyaman wouldn't let her stay out too long. The shock of the fire and fall was starting to take a toll on her. So their date consisted of them getting a hot beverage and some pastries, before walking back to the Satan Manor.

The press saw them coming, and flocked to them. But they didn't take Saiyaman's abilities into account. He merely picked Videl up, and flew her over the gateway.

But it was the goodbye that would star in their memories of the event. After sharing awkward sentiments, Videl kissed him. It would have gone on for a lot longer than it did—though it went on pretty long—but Hercule happened to be waiting up for his daughter, and opened the door, effectively dampening the mood. After sharing a timid smile, Videl watched as Saiyaman flew off into the night…wondering where in the world he came from, and why he would actually choose her.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/A: **I'm going to start off by saying that I _know_ the opening leaves a _lot_ to be desired. But I couldn't figure out a better way to make that month long transitional scene. I needed time to pass, but I'm not very good at that. I hope it's alright though. I can't find a way to change it to make it any better, so I'm going to give it to you like this. I'm hardly ever satisfied with my work though, so I don't find this so surprising.

I've got to thank everyone that reviewed really quick here, so "THANK YOU!" :-P

So, I've made it a really short little ramble today, so you can all get to chapter 12:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Twelve**_:

Gohan knew he had to tell Videl. And soon. After a month of dating Saiyaman, Videl was quickly falling in love. And he had already made it there. He was in love with her, and that made it all the more complicated. He couldn't lose her, he knew that now. He depended on her too much already. But he needed to tell her in a way that wouldn't hurt her… He _was_ pleased at how she seemed to back off of Gohan, and even Saiyaman, when it came to learning who he was, though. She realized that he would tell her when he was ready. And that in order to make him more comfortable, she would have to give him breathing room. When the time came, she would be ready.

She almost didn't care anymore. Well, that was a lie. But she knew it wasn't Sharpener, and that was good enough for her. She knew _who_ he was, even if she didn't know his name or his face. He was a true hero. He was _her_ hero.

And, after seeing Gohan decked out in a roleplaying outfit, she felt the need to be a lot kinder to him as well, while still distancing herself enough from him so that her slight feelings for him didn't get in the way of her love of Saiyaman. But, it would be a lie to say that those feelings went away, or didn't change at all. In fact, they grew slowly as well. Slow enough that she hadn't realized how much she liked him. The love of Saiyaman was overwhelming and overpowering.

Gohan, was surprised by her sudden kindness, but he didn't question it, in fear of jinxing it. Her love for Saiyaman was one thing, but when she was being kind to _Gohan,_ it was a thousand times more meaningful for the half-Saiyan.

_Now if only I could bring myself to tell her…_

The two were on a date in the loosest sense of the word. They were hanging out in her rec room, with her father up just one floor from them. The two were seated as closely on the couch as they could get to each other without Videl actually being in his lap.

"Tell me about yourself," Videl said whimsically, as the film they'd been watching came to a close.

Gohan gulped and looked down at her. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't need your name," she clarified. "I just…I want to know you better. I've told you just about everything I can think of. But you've hardly told me anything."

"Okay, so you want me to share some stories?" Gohan asked to be sure.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I want to know how you came to be who you are today."

"Okay," Gohan sighed. "Let's see…do you want to hear about my pet dragon…or my alien mentor?"

"Both," Videl said surprised he'd actually decided to let her in. "Anything you'll tell me is alright with me."

"Hmm…well, you've heard the stories of the Demon King Piccolo, right?" Gohan started.

"Yeah! A kid called Goku came and defeated the evil monster, and he was never heard from again," Videl said excitedly. "Goku, however, was seen at the following Martial Arts Tournament, and was said to have been the best asset to the mighty 'Z Warriors' that some fat man named Yajerobe was the leader of. But, that could have been a big hoax, since they were said to be fighting aliens. Who'd believe that?"

"I would," Gohan said. "Having been there and all."

"You were _there_? You fought aliens?" Videl asked in astonishment.

"I thought we'd already accomplished that I'm not exactly human, Videl," he said with a sigh.

"Oh," Videl said blushing. "I almost forgot. Sorry. So, are you an alien or something?"

"Half, anyway," Gohan explained. "My dad was of the same race of aliens that the invaders were."

"And that was what? Martians?" Videl joked.

"No," Gohan said with a chuckle. "They were Saiyans."

"Gohan dressed up as one of them on a date a while ago," Videl said remembering Gohan's strange costume. "That was kind of strange…wait! He mentioned cryptically once that he wasn't exactly human either. Is he like you then? Half-alien?"

"Uh… What exactly to do intend to do with this information?" Gohan asked her warily.

"I'm not going to spread it around school or anything," Videl assured him. "I just wanted to know. I get the feeling that he's not exactly normal, if you know what I mean."

"I know better than you'd think," Gohan said chuckling. "And…yes, Gohan's half-Saiyan too."

"I knew you knew him!" she exclaimed as he unknowingly proved her hypothesis.

Gohan mentally smacked himself. "Yeah," he said, half-heartedly agreeing. "I know Gohan really well."

"So that's why he was wearing such a strange set of armour then?" Videl said, sensing his distress at the topic, and switching back to the previous one.

"Yeah. He got a friend of his to make it," Gohan said vaguely. He felt kind of awkward talking to Videl about himself as if he were someone else. It was just strange.

"Okay, so, what were you saying about the demon king?" she asked, trying to soak up everything he would tell her.

"Oh, right," Gohan said relieved for the new topic. "Well, when Goku defeated him, he spit out an egg that hatched into Piccolo Jr. He entered the tournament three years later under the name Junior. He and Goku fought it out, destroying the ring in their battle. And that was the first year that Goku claimed the title. It was also the last time he entered the competition. But Piccolo had vowed to get his revenge. After all, he wanted Goku dead."

"He wanted him dead?" Videl gasped.

"You have to understand that while the demon king was dying, he produced this last child to exact revenge on Goku for defeating him. He was born with that mission, so he _needed_ to come through on it," Gohan said, coming to the defence of his mentor.

"Proceed," Videl said sceptically.

"Well, he would get that revenge five years later, when an alien by the name of Raditz came looking for…my father," Gohan said. She might be able to link the name Goku to Gohan, since they're surname is the same. He supposed that Saiyaman's father would have to be Kakarrott. "It turned out that this man was his older brother. Their planet had been destroyed, and only a handful of Saiyans were off planet at the time. So the three that met up in space only knew of one other Saiyan out in the universe that was living. My father."

"What did he do? How did Piccolo get involved in that?" Videl asked excitedly.

"Raditz kidnapped me," he said hesitantly. When she gasped, he knew he probably shouldn't have brought it up. "And brought me back to his space pod. He trapped me in there, and told my father…Kakarrott, that he needed to kill one hundred earthlings in order to get me back. My father had a pure heart," Gohan explained at her look of horror. "He could never kill those innocent people. And my uncle thought as much, I guess. He was going to take me with him back to space. I was only second best, but they would take what they could get.

"There was an evil overlord, bent on taking over the universe, and he was in _possession_ of the two remaining Saiyans. Raditz was sent against orders to come and find my father, because they needed his help in defeating this monster. And I don't remember much about the battle, since I was in the space pod at the time, but I know that Mr Piccolo came in with my dad and battled against my uncle two on one. They barely managed to win the fight, and I had to intervene, with a sudden rush of power, in order to even leave a scratch on him. Eventually, dad took hold of his tail…a Saiyan's only weakness. Raditz talked him out of killing him…only to come back and nearly kill off my father. Dad got him in a tight hold, and had Piccolo deal the final blow. He shot a Special Beam Canon right through Raditz's heart…and through my father's. I was unconscious at the time. But when I came to, Piccolo told it to me straight. He never sugar coated anything. In fact, he still thinks the whole idea of me becoming 'Saiyaman' was a complete waste of time," Gohan chuckled.

"Are you saying that your father was killed, and his worst enemy took you away?" Videl asked.

"Yeah," Gohan said as he thought it through. "I suppose he kidnapped me…I don't think so, but my mom sure does."

"Is that where you met Gohan then?" Videl asked, processing the information.

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked nervously.

"On his first day," Videl explained. "Gohan phoned his mother. She was yelling at him, I couldn't quite make out the words, but he said "Piccolo didn't kidnap me." And before that, he threatened his mother with calling him."

_Uh-oh. I don't remember saying any of that… Why did _she_ have to remember? This girl's got an amazing memory. But with the number of times she brings my name up…if I were anyone else, I'd probably be jealous…_

"Uh…well, no. I didn't meet him _then_. I knew him from before," Gohan said.

"When did you meet him then? And Lime too," Videl asked eagerly.

"Don't you want to hear about the tortures I went through with Mr Piccolo?" Gohan asked hopeful.

"Yeah," Videl said. "But I want to know that too."

"Let's take it one question at a time, okay?"

"Okay," Videl said, getting ready to take in more information.

"Okay," he repeated. "Piccolo told me he was going to leave me—keep in mind that I was only four and a half at the time—alone in the wilderness to survive for six months. After that, if I was still alive, he was going to put me through the toughest training the world had ever seen. I was even thrown at a mountain in order to learn how to control my ki."

"What's ki," Videl interrupted.

"Well…ki is like the energy that flows through your body," Gohan said, trying to explain. "If harnessed correctly, you can use it to fire energy attacks and even fly."

"So, they aren't tricks like my dad says?"

"Your dad says a lot of things, doesn't he?" Gohan said with a knowing smile.

"I suppose so," Videl said confused by his reaction. "Anyway, continue."

"Well, I tried to run away from that once, so I could get home to my mom, but in the end, I stuck it out, and learned a whole lot. I became pretty powerful…for a five year old," Gohan said. "But I was still scared skinny at the sign of danger. I was definitely what one would call a crybaby."

"I can't see you whining," Videl objected. "You're too strong and stoic to have been a crybaby."

"Well, things change," Gohan said. "I wasn't always blonde you know."

"Why the sudden change in topic?" Videl asked.

"I wouldn't be able to explain it," Gohan said shrugging his shoulders.

"What colour is your hair naturally, then?" Videl said playing along.

"Well…" Gohan said thinking it through. "I suppose it is _naturally_ blonde too. I haven't dyed it or anything. But when I was born, I had really dark hair."

"How dark? Like just a dark brown, or like mine and Gohan's hair, really, really dark?"

"Like Gohan's," he said carefully.

"Oh, okay. I can't really picture you like that though," Videl said squinting at him. "Your eyes are just way too light. It makes it really difficult."

"Yeah…" Gohan said laughing nervously. "Anyway, you want to hear about my pet dragon? Or my big adventure through space?"

"No," Videl said narrowing her eyes at him. "If I remember correctly, the next topic was supposed to be about where and when you met Lime and Gohan."

"Oh, right," he said scratching the back of his neck. "I met Lime when Gohan dived into the water to save her. She thought he was a pervert. It's kind of funny now, you know, now that I know what she meant."

"That was a long time ago, huh?"

"Seven years, anyway," Gohan admitted.

"So, all along Lime's known who you are," Videl said in a far off voice. "Hmm, it's kind of funny. Me desperately searching for clues about you and Gohan, and my housemate knows everything."

"Yeah, funny," Gohan said rubbing the back of his neck. "So, about that space trip."

"Are you telling me that you actually went to _space_?" Videl asked astonished. "I thought you were kidding."

"No," Gohan said. "I went to space. That's where I met the evil overlord who wanted to take over the universe. His name was Frieza. He was pretty scary. I couldn't have been more than five at the time. But I fought him. Kept him distracted until my dad could get to him."

"I thought you said your dad died before then," Videl said narrowing her eyes.

"He did," Gohan said quickly. "We just wished him back with the dragonballs so he could fight with the aliens when they landed on earth that second time. He got severely injured during that battle though, so he had to stay in the hospital until a sensu bean could be grown. It was bad luck that there happened to be no sensu beans at the time. But it was alright. Bulma and—"

"Wait," Videl interrupted. "Bulma as in Bulma Briefs?"

"Yeah, her," Gohan said. "Her and Krillin—"

"As in the world class martial artist that competed in every tournament that Goku did?"

"Yes, him. Anyway, I went with Bulma and Krillin to planet Namek. I won't bore you with the details, but if you ever have the chance to go to space, don't go with Bulma. She's pretty high maintenance, if you know what I mean," Gohan said chuckling to himself. Bulma really was a handful back then. She might not be so bad now that she's a mother. She's really seemed to mellow since Trunks was born.

Videl joined him in his laughter, motioning with her hands for him to continue.

"Okay," he said, letting his laughter die down. "So, we needed to go to that planet, because Piccolo died during the battle with the Saiyans, which meant that the dragonballs were useless. They were connected to Kami, and since Kami and Piccolo were two halves of the same coin, Kami died with him."

"Kami," Videl said to clarify. "Like _Kami_ Kami?"

"Yeah, he was the guardian of Earth up until seven years ago," Gohan said. It was so easy for him to tell her everything without worrying about what she'd think of _Gohan_.

"A lot happened seven years ago," Videl noticed.

"Yeah," Gohan agreed, thinking of all the dangers and adventures he'd had back then. "Anyway, we were going to planet Namek, since Piccolo turned out to be from there. And they had a set of dragonballs of their own. We needed them to wish back Piccolo—which is the only reason I wanted to go. He died for _me_. He saved my life with his own. So I _had_ to go back, and return the favour, by giving his back—and then there was Yamcha—"

"Yamcha the bandit? Like the famous baseball player from the Taitans?" Videl asked in shock.

"Are you going to do that every time I mention someone's name?"

"Only if they're famous," she defended.

"Okay, well the other two we needed to revive were Chiaotzu and Tien Shinhan," Gohan said, pausing for her to ask her question.

She bit her lip. She didn't want to annoy him with her questions any longer.

"You can ask," Gohan sighed. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

"As in Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu the famous martial artists of the crane school of martial arts? Tien barely beat Goku in that match that made him world champion that year. Goku defeated him almost easily at the following tournament three years later," Videl said excitedly. Gohan had to laugh at her enthusiasm.

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "That's them."

"Wow," she said in awe. "You know so many amazing people. Which one is your favourite? I mean, who were you happiest to meet?"

Gohan thought for a second…

"You," he said.

"I'm serious," she mumbled with a blush.

"Me too," he said, kissing her gently.

It wasn't long before the kiss started to heat up. They were pulling each other as close as they could, but they still wanted to be closer. They only parted far enough to catch a quick breath before they were at it again. Videl manoeuvred herself so she was on his lap, allowing for better access.

Gohan couldn't believe how excited he was getting. Just a kiss from Videl, and he felt like he was on fire, but _this_… This was absolutely unbelievable. Soon, she was tentatively asking for entrance with her tongue, and he readily allowed her in. They were fighting a battle for dominance, when she moaned his name.

Only, it wasn't _his_ name.

"Saiyaman."

It was as if he was doused with a bucket of ice cold water.

Well, that effectively killed off the mood.

"Okay," he said awkwardly. He gently removed her from his lap. "We won't be doing that again anytime soon."

_Not as long as you think my name is Saiyaman anyway._

* * *

Lime was nervous. She didn't know if she was allowed to come and visit, but she needed help. And this was the only person she could think of to help her with her problem.

Gohan—excuse me—_Saiyaman_ was at the manor with Videl, and she needed to get out of there. It was always so awkward to be around the two of them. _They_ got along great. And Lime got along with the both of them…but when they were separate. She didn't know what to say when they were together. She felt as though she was walking on eggshells, and was almost afraid to say anything.

Anything she said could accidentally give away Gohan's identity.

But, that's why she was here.

Gohan couldn't tell her who he was. He was too scared to do so himself.

So she was going to enlist some help. That's why she was here, after all. She walked over to the doorway, and pressed the buzzer for the intercom.

"Hello?"

"Hello, welcome to Capsule Corp. how can we help you?" came the automatic response.

"Could you tell Ms. Bulma that Lime is here to see her? Tell her it's kind of important," Lime said.

"Not a problem. If you could just wait there, I'll come back with your answer."

"Thank you," Lime responded, but the girl was already gone to—hopefully—find Bulma.

She waited there for twenty minutes, rocking on her heels, hoping that Bulma would help her. She wasn't going to be mean about it. She just wanted to give Gohan that little shove in the right direction. She would _never_ just outright _tell_ Videl who Saiyaman was. That would just be cruel. And that's why she needed Bulma. She was a genius in more than just science. She was clever. And clever is what Lime needed right then.

Just then, the door opened wide. A frazzled Bulma looked her over critically.

"What's the problem?" she demanded airily. "Are you hurt? Is Gohan hurt?"

"No one's injured Bulma," Lime said slowly. "I just needed some help."

"But she said it was urgent…"

"I said it was _kind of_ important. She must have heard me wrong," Lime said sheepishly. "But it _is_ about Gohan."

"He still hasn't told her, huh?"

"Nope," Lime said. "So, I need to come up with a situation that could either give her a clue, or prompt him to let her know."

"Any ideas yet?"

"Not a clue," Lime admitted. "I was thinking it would have to be a 'party' of some sort. Since Gohan and Videl haven't really hung out aside from lunch at school. She's too busy with _Saiyaman_. It's getting ridiculous."

"I'll say," Bulma chuckled. "Has either of them mentioned anything that they want to do?"

"Now that you mention it," Lime said with a devilish smile that would have made Vegeta proud. "Gohan did mention something at lunch on his first day…"

* * *

"What, did I do something wrong?" Videl asked nervously.

"No," he said quickly. He didn't want to discourage her. She had been, after all, magnificent. "It's just…how would you feel if I called you 'Human' while we were…you know…"

"Making out?"

"Yes, that," Gohan said, trying to hold back his blush.

"Oh," Videl said, as the situation sunk in. "I wouldn't have called you Saiyaman you know. But I don't know your real name."

"I realize that Videl," he said smiling at her. "And I've been dropping a lot more hints that I wanted to. I just don't know if you're ready for me to reveal myself…" Before she could protest to that, Gohan continued. "I don't know if _I'm_ ready for it either. If you figure it out…then that's alright, great even. But until I can tell you, we just can't do that."

"So, I can't kiss my boyfriend?" Videl asked in confusion.

"No!" Gohan gasped a little too quickly. "That's not what I meant. We can kiss, just nothing so _heavy_. If you catch my drift?"

"Yeah," she said blushing at his meaning. "I understand."

The sound of Hercule laughing upstairs sent the two diving for the opposite ends of the couch. But he never came down.

"False alarm," Gohan muttered.

"Hey, Saiyaman," Videl said hesitantly. "Do you think you could tell me how my father beat Cell? I mean, you've been to all of the other major battles the earth has seen. I figure you must have been there too."

"I was," Gohan said. "I was the Deliver Boy after all."

Videl felt foolish for forgetting commonly known knowledge. She could remember little facts from a month ago, but she forgot that. How stupid…

"Right," she said with an embarrassed smile. "So, can you tell me how he did it?"

Gohan thought about lying to her, saying that he just hadn't seen it, but his promise to Hercule flashed in his mind.

I_ won't bring it up. But if she asks, I'm not going to lie to her._

"He didn't…" Gohan started.

She gasped.

"I did."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/A: **So, this chapter took a little bit longer to write out, and it was a little boring at the beginning, since he was just telling her stuff—and I apologize for the dreadfully slow pace—but I tried to make the stories go by faster by not going into full detail. I going to be optimistic and say that it worked out… and I hope you enjoy it anyway. I'm so excited, now that the end is near…to bad I haven't really decided how to end it yet…but I'll figure something out.

A big thank you goes out to all that reviewed the last chapter. I can't thank you enough.

But now, I won't keep you any longer. I give you chapter 13:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Thirteen**_:

"You are a very good liar," Videl commented. "I didn't think you were, but I was obviously proved wrong just now."

"I'm not lying to you Videl," Gohan pleaded. "I swear to you, _I_ wouldn't lie about something like this. I even swore to your father that I wouldn't say anything until you actually asked me about it. He said it was fair."

"Prove it," Videl said, anxiously. She didn't want to find out that her father had been lying to _her_. The rest of the world was bad enough, but her? How could he…he wouldn't possibly…would he?

"How?" he asked. "I can't just pull a video tape out of my back pocket."

"Tell me how it happened. I want to know," she said quietly.

"Okay," Gohan sighed. "Just don't hold this against your father. He knew it was wrong, and he _was _only thinking of himself while he took the credit, but it was for the better. I didn't want the credit. I just wanted out of the public eye."

"Just, tell me," she whispered. "Please."

He took a deep breath, and then he began. "It started a long time ago actually. Back when Goku was about twelve or thirteen maybe. He fought against the well known Red Ribbon Army. They used androids sometimes, along with their line of highly recognizable team of generals. A man by the name of Dr Gero created these androids. He was the one person that Goku didn't take out during his single handed attack. It was amazing even just hearing about it. He was so brave and powerful even as a child."

"Is he your hero?" she asked quietly, still shaken by the new development. His childlike wonder and awe as he spoke of this Goku was astounding. Saiyaman was a hero on his own, but for him to be so surprised by this man's power must really make him nothing short of amazing.

Gohan gave her a small smile. "He was, yeah."

"Tell me more," she said.

"Since Goku took out the entire Red Ribbon Army, and all of Gero's creations, Gero vowed revenge on him," Gohan explained.

"A lot of people wanted to kill him, huh?" Videl noticed.

"Yeah," Gohan said with a smile. "It sure seems that way doesn't it? It took Gero years to develop what he was sure were the perfect androids. They were created from humans, which left them with free will to an extent. This was a problem for Gero, and he used his remote to shut them down. His next creation, android 19 was what he thought to be perfect. He thought it so perfect, that he made himself into an android of that same model. He fashioned himself a new name. Android 20. But these androids weren't his only creations. He also had an android that was made for the sole purpose of destroying Goku, but he didn't think it was good enough, and postponed working on him. His other project was a purely organic creation. He took DNA from Frieza, Vegeta—he's the Saiyan Prince—Goku, Piccolo…everyone he thought would give it the edge it needed. He called this creation, Cell. And it was his life's greatest achievement."

Videl gasped at that. "Someone _created_ Cell? On purpose?"

"Yes," Gohan said with a crooked smile. "Hard to believe isn't it?"

She could only manage a nod.

"Cell wasn't completed until years in the future from the time he attacked us," Gohan said, laughing at her confused face. "There is an alternate timeline that Gero's androids destroyed. The Bulma of that timeline created a time machine, so that…someone who probably shouldn't be named…could come back and warn us. He also saved Goku from death, so that he could help fight these androids. After the whole Cell fiasco, this person went back to the future, and destroyed the androids. But that's when Cell stole his time machine. Cell went back further than _this person_ did, three years earlier than his first visit. We had to destroy the Cell of this time, so we wouldn't have to deal with him again."

"That's a little bit too crazy to have been made up on the spot," Videl decided.

"You still want to hear about the battle?" he asked hesitantly. If he didn't have to talk about it, it would be easier.

"Yeah," Vided said. "But where was your father during all of this?"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Well, this Goku guy is the only one you're talking about. Not Kakarrott your supposed father," Videl pointed out.

"Well…" he started, but he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You know what I think?" she asked slyly.

"What?"

"I think that this Goku guy _is _Kakarrott. I think he's your father," she said. "You talk about him like he's your dad. _And_ you were talking earlier about Piccolo wanting revenge on _Goku_ but he got revenge on _Kakarrott_. It didn't make any sense. I'm not going to search every resource in search of your father. But, if you were trying to hide it, you could work on your continuity."

"W-well," Gohan said shocked by her discovery. She wasn't supposed to figure that out.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"Maybe…" he said nervously, avoiding eye contact. "But, back to the battle."

"Yes," she said with a smirk. Her earlier discomfort from her father's deception was forgotten. "Tell me how your father managed to live with five androids all bent on killing him."

"This person from the future warned us that on May 12 two androids would start to wreak havoc on an island southwest of South City," Gohan said. "So we had three years to prepare for them. We were actually able to take the first one out without much trouble, thanks to Vegeta, but the second one—Dr Gero—was killed by a fellow Android. Androids 17 and 18 were released by Gero, just before they killed him, and then they proceeded to release android 16. They were way more powerful than they were in the future they had destroyed. But for some reason, android 16's presence was enough to stop them from destroying everything. I guess since 16 had a mission, they weren't _bored_.

"Unfortunately, their mission was to kill my father. And my father was fighting off a lethal heart virus at the time too. So, they were surprisingly more peaceful than we expected. But they were too powerful to defeat," Gohan explained. "It was around that time that Kami noticed an evil force rising up and gaining power. It was Cell. Kami decided that he needed to fuse with Piccolo again in order to gain enough power to destroy Cell. But Vegeta wanted to see Cell become complete, and was dead set against having Piccolo destroy him.

"Vegeta got his wish," Gohan said grimly. "Cell absorbed Androids 17 and 18 and became 'complete.'"

"That Vegeta guy's an idiot," Videl scoffed.

"He's not," Gohan defended. "He just has a lot of pride. He wanted to prove himself to be better than my father, and take his birthright back. He wanted…still wants …to be the most powerful Saiyan. He is the Prince after all, so he _should_ be the best, I guess."

"I suppose that's great and all, but it's still no excuse for setting the worst monster imaginable on the population of the planet. Doesn't he care about Earth at all?" Videl asked.

"He never used to. But, he did kind of marry Bulma, so he's kind of got something to protect now. Two really. Bulma and Trunks," Gohan admitted.

"Hmm…" she murmured, mulling over the newly acquired facts. "Alright. I concede. Get on with the story…please."

"It wasn't long after Cell became complete that he declared his Cell Games on television. You watched the broadcast, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I saw up until the Delivery—I mean you—went up to fight him," she said nodding.

"Good," he said with a small smile. "I don't want to explain everything. Especially your father's…_trip_ into that cliff side. Anyway, I was up against Cell, and he wanted to release that hidden power I told you about earlier. So, he tried bringing me face to face with death…but that didn't work. Then he tried to coax it out of me, by sending his 'children' to fight my friends and my dad. But that only resulted in a scared little boy begging him to call it off. It wasn't until your father threw Android 16's head at me that I snapped. 16 told me not to be afraid to fight—or kill—if it would protect the entire world. And I became unstoppable. I transcended my highest power, and went became something we only _thought_ was possible. I was an ascended Super Saiyan."

"What's a 'Super Saiyan'?" Videl asked with her eyebrow raised in amusement. "Is it like a superhero?"

"Kind of," he said chuckling at her analogy. "I'm a Super Saiyan right now, actually. It's like a power boost, but it takes a lot of energy to hold. In this state, I could break a glass just by trying to pick it up. I've done that before actually. It was thought to only be legend, but all the Saiyans I know can reach that level."

"Even Gohan?" she asked.

"Ha, I guess I know him too huh?" Gohan laughed nervously.

_Hmm…so Gohan's the only one that can't…_ Videl decided.

"Proceed," she said, filing that away.

"Right, well, with my extra power came some cockiness. I let my head get too big, and Cell got the better of me. After I kicked him hard in the gut, and he'd spit up 18, he decided that he'd blow himself up. I couldn't hit him, or he'd blow. And I couldn't just sit there, since he'd blow up then too. I was stuck. But my dad sacrificed himself to save us all, by transporting Cell to another planet. It wasn't enough. Cell came back, and it ended off becoming a battle of the Kamehameha waves, as the two of us duked it out to win. I won after a long battle, with a little help from Vegeta, since he distracted Cell for just a second. That split second was all I needed to overpower his blast, and take him out," Gohan explained. "So, do you believe me now?"

"Yeah," she said in awe.

"Good," he said with a smile.

"So, your dad died at the Cell Games?" she asked to clarify. Something was ringing in her memory, but she couldn't quite remember.

"Yeah, he did."

* * *

Gohan found himself sitting at his desk, listening to the teacher drone on and on about something or other. But he wasn't focussed on the lecture. His thoughts were focussed on the girl sitting a few seats down from him. He needed to figure out how to tell her. He was about fifty-six percent sure that she wouldn't be too disappointed when she found out. But, being a man of brains, he knew that it wasn't that great of a number.

He just needed a foolproof plan.

The teacher stopped his lesson, and dismissed them for lunch, but Gohan hadn't been paying attention, so of course, he missed that memo.

"Gohan," Videl called. "Are you going to sit there forever?"

"Hmm? What do you mean Videl?" he said, coming back to the world of the living, only due to her voice. Had it been anyone else, he was sure he wouldn't have heard at all.

"It's lunch time," she said motioning to the mostly empty classroom. "It's hardly like you to miss out on lunch."

"Right," he said nervously scratching the back of his head. "We should get going."

Lime was making her way up the stairs, to find out what was wrong with Gohan, when she happened to overhear Videl's next question.

"Gohan, do you have any brothers?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes," he said smiling at her. It wasn't like her to forget. "Goten, you remember him from that first day?"

Lime chuckled to herself at Videl's flustered reaction.

"That's not what I meant," she defended. "Saiyaman happened to tell me about the Cell Games, and mentioned that his father died there. I figured you might be related, since yours died that day too. It's fine if you don't want to tell me. I just thought that, since you only mentioned _one_ death that day…never mind, it was stupid."

His eyes widened, and he tilted his head away from her so she couldn't see his reaction. How had he been so utterly careless? It was bad enough that she'd pieced together who his father was. But to guess that both he and Saiyaman shared a father…she was getting really close. Much to close for comfort.

Videl shook her head, and walked off to find Erasa. So much for that theory.

_So, they aren't brothers. I wonder how they know each other then. Saiyaman is really touchy when it concerns Gohan. I swear I will figure it out. It's just way too weird._

Lime watched her until she left the classroom, and then rounded on Gohan. Her face was full of anger. Gohan nearly flinched when he saw her. She was getting more frightening each day.

"Why haven't you told her yet?" she demanded. "You're fundamentally lying to her by not telling her. How long do you expect to be able to live this double life of yours? Huh? I can't see it working out very well much longer. You have to be careful with what you say to her. She's got a memory like an elephant! She doesn't forget the little details. Which, conveniently you do! Just tell her!"

"I can't figure out a good way to do it," he said, sighing. "I'm trying though."

"Well, try harder!" she shouted in exasperation.

"Okay," he said, trying to placate her. She was starting to get scary.

"I'm sorry, Gohan," she said after taking a few deep breaths. "I don't mean to be such a…_witch_ about it. I just…she needs to know Gohan. She's already falling so hard for him. It might be too late to not hurt her if you don't tell her. I just can't get it out of my head. I talked to Bulma about it…"

"You what?" he said, taking his turn to shout. That was the last thing he needed. Bulma didn't need to know just how complicated his love life was. She didn't really need to know _anything_ about his love life. He sure didn't want to know about hers. It would just be easier if everyone else could just stay out of it…but he knew that would never happen. And there was a part of him that was glad to have _someone_ to help him.

"I needed advice on what _I_ should do," she said sheepishly. "I want to do something to help, but every time I try something, it just comes out as me yelling at you. I don't mean to be so harsh. I swear. But you need help."

"I know I do," he agreed. "But you know if you wanted to help, you could maybe try _not_ yelling at me. It would make things less stressful."

"But if _I_ don't yell at you," she pointed out. "No one will get you on track."

"You're right. Again," he said.

"You'll tell her then?"

"I will," he promised. "Soon. Just give me enough time to make a plan."

* * *

The rest of the school day passed without incident. Gohan, of course hadn't managed to find a way to tell her, and so he'd have to keep her in the dark a little bit longer.

"Gohan!" Lime called out from behind him. He was on the roof, ready to take off. She was hoping she'd catch him before he left.

"Lime? What are you doing up here?"

"I had to catch you," she said shrugging, and catching her breath. Being human had its disadvantages. Even being in shape had its advantages. She was barely able to run up all of those stairs.

He watched her gasping for breath, unsure if she was even able to continue. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she gasped. "I'll be fine."

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Can you bring me to Capsule Corp? Bulma wanted me to come over, you know, to help me help you," she said, finally catching her breath.

"It shouldn't be any trouble," Gohan said warily.

_What does Bulma have planned?_

Bulma with a plan was never a good thing. She could be downright scary if she wanted to be. And this did involve his life here.

"You're not going to yell at me are you?"

"No," Lime said smiling. "I won't need to."

"Bulma's going to?" he guessed.

"I don't think so," she said with a smirk.

"Then why…"

"I figured I've yelled at you enough," Lime said with a smirk.

There was something about that smirk that rubbed him the wrong way. She was too scary for her own good sometimes.

"What are you going to do?" he asked nervously.

"We're just going to have some girl talk," she assured him. "Nothing you'd be interested in. I can find my own way home. You just need to drop me off."

"Okay," he decided. "I guess I can do that."

She sighed in relief, and ran up to him.

"Okay," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Take me away, superhero."

He chuckled nervously, but scooped her into his arms anyway. He put on a mock hero voice. "Next stop, Capsule Corp." This of course sent her into a fit of giggles,that was very unlike her. He was getting that queasy, uneasy feeling again. She was definitely up to something. Whether that something involved _him_ was a different story, but she was definitely up to something.

* * *

It didn't take too long for him to get to Capsule Corp. even with Lime squirming with excitement the whole way. The problem was: he didn't know where the excitement was coming from.

When they touched down, she squirmed until her set her down, and then she ran up to the door, inputting a code for the door to open, instead of waiting for the secretary to grant her access. He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

_When did Bulma decide she trusted Lime enough to give her the pass code? _

Bulma was waiting in the first room to the left, and jumped up the second Lime came into the room.

"I've been waiting for you!" she exclaimed.

"I know," Lime said. "Someone didn't want to go Super Saiyan. I guess he didn't want his girlfriend to see him flying off with another girl."

Bulma laughed at her joke. "No, we mustn't have that. It would be such a shame."

"It would," Lime agreed. "Now, we've got a lot of work to do, and I'll have a two hour drive to get back to the manor, so we don't have too long to work with."

"I'll get Trunks to fly you home," Bulma said, waving her hand. "We'll have all the time we need. Or does that lug of a man have a curfew for you?"

"I do have a curfew," Lime admitted shyly. "I've got to be back by ten, and not a second later."

"You get to stay out until ten?" Gohan asked. "Videl can only stay out until 9:30."

"I know," she said with a wicked smile. "He doesn't want anyone to defile his precious daughter. He worries about her way too much."

"Yeah," Gohan muttered bitterly.

"So, Gohan," Bulma said. "I hear you're getting pretty serious with this girl?"

"She's my dark haired angel," Gohan said with a small smile. "I hunted for her for seven years. Now that I found her, I don't want to let her go."

"Aw," Bulma squealed. "Why doesn't Vegeta say such sweet things?"

"Because they are a waste of time," came Vegeta's gruff voice. "It shows weakness. And since I have no weakness, don't expect any sentimental rubbish."

"Oh, Vegeta," Bulma grumbled. "Can't you be nice for once when we have guests?"

"Hmm…" he said, pretending to be thinking it over. A smirk found its way to his face. "Of course not."

His deep laughter could be heard as he made his way to the kitchen. He'd come in for some nourishment after all. He'd trained right through lunch, and couldn't go any longer without some new fuel.

"Oh, that man," Bulma said angrily, shaking her fist after him. "I don't know why I even bother to love you, you jerk!"

His roaring laughter was the only response she got.

Gohan chuckled quietly to himself. His mother could yell at his father when he was around, but it was never as funny as Bulma and Vegeta. That was probably because she was always arguing for him to study.

"I hope you get along better with…Videl?—is that her name?—than I do with Vegeta," Bulma said once she'd cooled down. "Especially after she finds out who you are."

"Don't start," Gohan groaned. Why was everyone pestering him about it? He would tell her the moment he _could_ tell her, and not a moment sooner.

"Fine," Bulma huffed. "But you _should_ tell her."

"I _know_," he said. "I've got to get home."

"Bye, then," Bulma said. "I'll see you this Friday, won't I?"

"For what?"

"For our next big get-together," she explained.

"Well," he started. "I kind of have a date…"

"Then cancel it," she said simply.

"But—" Gohan tried to protest.

"Gohan," Bulma said sternly. "How often do you see everyone all together?"

"Never," he admitted.

"So you are coming," she demanded. She waited for him to reluctantly nod his head. "Good."

"Bye Bulma," he said, walking dejectedly out the front door.

"Oh, and Gohan, bring a friend! From what Lime tells me, Erasa's pretty great!"

_Lime._ _I knew she was up to something. She probably planned this whole thing. If this is an attempt at making me tell Videl…Oh, I don't know what I'd do to her, but I'll think of something._

* * *

"Gohan," Chi-Chi shouted the moment he walked through the door.

"Hi mom," Gohan said, heading directly to his bedroom.

"Gohan! I'm talking to you," she yelled.

_No, you're yelling at me. Just like everyone else._

"Do you need something, mom?"

"I want to know why you've been late coming home everyday this month! Today it wasn't as bad as normal, but still. There are nights when you get home past Goten's bedtime. Is it wrong for a mother to want to know her son is safe? Is it too difficult for you to phone me and tell me why you're late, or when you'll be home?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"No mom," Gohan sighed. He wasn't going to tell her though. They went through the exact same conversation the last time he came home earlier than ten o'clock. If he was later, she was too tired to yell at him.

"Are you going to tell me where you've been?" she demanded.

"I was at Capsule Corp mom," Gohan said pleased he could be a hundred percent honest with today's excuse. "By the way, Bulma wants us to go over there on Friday. It's a party or something."

"With all of those bad influences your father hung out with, I'm sure," she said, sighing. "I won't keep you home. I can't do that to you. We'll go. But we're leaving before nine. Goten does have a bedtime after all."

"Sure mom," Gohan said, walking into his bedroom. "Whatever you say."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/A: **Yay! I finally finished writing this chapter! This is either the third or fourth last chapter, just to warn you. I'm really excited now that the ending is in sight. I hope you've all been enjoying the story! ^_^ I'm not going to ramble too much longer. I do have to say that I _could_ be happier with this chapter. I didn't really like it, but I liked parts of it, and it got to where I needed it to go, so I guess its okay.

But without further ado, here's chapter fourteen:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Fourteen**_:

Gohan was stuck in a car that was moving much slower than he wanted it to go. In the seat beside him, Erasa was talking incessantly about anything and everything she could think of. You'd think a two hour trip wouldn't be so bad.

Lime had forced him to invite Erasa, since she'd already invited Sharpener. Bulma had told her to do so. She swore she didn't want to. And Gohan believed her. It was fairly obvious that she didn't want to, since she was sitting in the passenger seat, trying to get as close to the window as possible, as Sharpener continually tried to grab and hold her hand. Each time he caught it, she would try to remove it as discreetly as possible. Apparently, Sharpener was under the impression that this was a date.

But it wasn't.

It wasn't to Gohan at least.

He already had a girlfriend. He didn't need to complicate things any further. After the whole Angela fiasco, Gohan swore he wouldn't date anymore during lunch one day. Erasa thought that was a shame, but oddly enough—though it made Gohan quite pleased—Videl seemed rather content about the matter.

Unfortunately, Videl was unable to accompany them that evening. She had something else planned. Gohan remembered the conversation clearly.

They had been sitting on a bench at the park, both struggling with what to say. Gohan, as Saiyaman, had to cancel their date, since Gohan had to be at this party of Bulma's, and therefore wouldn't be able to attend their date that same evening. He'd already tried the whole be-two-places-at-once thing. And he didn't want to try it again anytime soon.

"Saiyaman," she started, just as he said "Videl."

They nervously looked away from each other.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Gohan said after an awkward silence. "But I have to cancel our date."

"That's a relief," Videl said.

Gohan, clearly not hearing her correctly continued to defend himself. "It's not that I _want_ to cancel the date, but I really need to cancel it."

"Saiyaman, I said it was fine," Videl said with an amused smile.

"I really mean that," he continued. "I would love to cancel this other thing, but I can't cancel that…wait. You said it was fine? A relief?"

"Yes, actually," Videl said not realizing how bad that sounded.

"You don't want to date me anymore. Is it because I'm afraid to tell you who I am?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Videl said quickly. "I'm almost a hundred percent positive that I'm going to like you the same no matter who you turn out to be…so long as it's not Sharpener."

"I'm not Sharpener," Gohan said with a laugh. "But that still doesn't convince me."

"I know you," Videl guessed quietly. "That's why you're afraid. You know me both as yourself and as Saiyaman."

"Yeah," he admitted. "You don't seem to actually like anybody."

"I have friends," Videl said defensively. "I like Erasa and Lime. And Gohan."

"Gohan? Really?"

"You sound so surprised," Videl said with a laugh. "He's your friend too, right?"

"Yeah, something like that," Gohan said dryly.

"So you know that he's generally likeable," Videl said. "And now that I know that _you_ beat Cell, and not my dad, Gohan doesn't seem so arrogant making fun of him, you know?"

"Yeah," Gohan said feeling much better about the situation. "Listen, I want to tell you. Soon."

"When?" Videl asked, reigning in her excitement. But she was also nervous. She hadn't cared who he really was up until he voiced his uneasiness. Now what was she supposed to think?

"After this event thing I have to go to," he decided. He'd already pushed it off too long. He needed to take a chance and go for it.

"That's Friday?" Videl asked.

"Yes, I don't know when I'll be able to get away though," Gohan said. "But I _have_ to tell you."

"That's what I was trying to tell you about," Videl said, sighing. "My dad scheduled an event and agreed that I would go. Of course he didn't bother to ask me, but this event is huge for him. He's never gotten this kind of opportunity before. So I can't get out of it. Can we do the grand unveiling the following day?"

"No," Gohan said determined. "I know I won't be able to do it. If I have even that small window, I'll weasel my way out of it."

Videl laughed at him. He was just too cute. "Fine. It'll be late, but I guess we can do this on Friday. I'll see you then," she said, leaning in and giving him a lingering kiss. "But I really need to go now."

"I love you," Gohan murmured.

"I love you too," Videl said smiling.

_If only she did…_ Gohan's thoughts had brought him back to the present.

"So, Gohan," Erasa asked, finally taking a break from her lecture on school gossip. "Where are we even going?"

"West City," Gohan said with a shrug. "I was invited to a party, and they told me to bring a friend."

"And you thought of me right off?" Erasa asked. "That's so sweet."

"Well," Gohan said softly—more to himself than to anyone else. "I would've invited Videl, but she's dating Saiyaman…"

"Aw," Erasa sighed. "Unrequited love. That's got to suck. But don't worry, you'll find your special someone."

_I already did._

But all he could do was nod to the girl.

"That's it. Think positive."

"Hey Brains," Sharpener called from the front seat. "Quit your whining. It's so not helping your image. And give me some directions here. I have to know where I'm driving."

"Do you know where the Capsule Corp building is?" Gohan asked nonchalantly.

"I can kind of see it from here," Sharpener scoffed. "I'm not stupid."

"Well, drive over there, and I'll give you further directions."

Sharpener followed his directions to the T. When he pulled the car onto the main CC road, he asked for the rest of the directions.

"First, pull the car to the curb," Gohan said with a smirk.

Sharpener did as much.

"Now we all get out."

"What are you playing at?"

"Oh just do what he says Sharpener," Lime said getting annoyed.

They all piled out of the vehicle, and stood together on the curb.

"And…?"

"Encapsulate the vehicle," Gohan said amused.

"Are you expecting us to walk the rest of the way?" Sharpener asked, shocked.

"Yeah," Gohan said. "It's only forty feet."

"What do you mean?" Erasa asked. "The only place that is that close is Capsule Corp."

"Exactly," Lime said. "Now c'mon, we don't want to be late for Bulma's party."

"B-b-bulma?" Sharpener asked.

"Here? The party is here?" Erasa said doing a pretty good impression of a fish.

"If you're going to act like that, then you can stay out here," Gohan said. "I'm not going to have my night ruined by star struck teenagers."

"Honestly Gohan, you can behave better than that."

"You know I don't want to be here Bulma. I _had_ other plans," Gohan growled.

"And you cancelled them to spend time with me," Bulma said with a laugh. "At least we know where your loyalties lie."

"You make it sound like I'm betraying you. I just have a girlfriend, okay," Gohan said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and walking past her into the large complex.

"Hello, I'm Bulma Briefs," Bulma said smiling at the two new teenagers. "You must be Sharpener and Erasa. Lime has told me so much about you."

"You talked about us?" Erasa asked in awe.

"Sure, we talked about pretty much everything," Lime said. That's when she noticed Sharpener's confused thinking face. "What's wrong Sharpener. Shocked to be in the presence of such a famous and beautiful genius?"

"No, I'm still stuck on what Brains said," Sharpener said, so confused that he hadn't noticed Bulma's presence. "How could _Gohan_ have a girlfriend?"

"He's an attractive, sweet and intelligent boy," Erasa said walking towards him with a seductive swivel of her hips. "And _you_ are an inconsiderate pig."

Bulma and Lime had to laugh at that, before they ushered the shocked male into the building.

"I'm sorry, Sharpener," Erasa said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "But someone had to tell you. It wouldn't be right to draw it out."

"Just because you have a little crush on Brains doesn't mean you have to take out your pent up frustrations on me," Sharpener said, having decided she was just mad at Gohan.

"Why would I even _have_ any pent up frustrations?" Erasa asked narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Because the guy you like is pining for your best friend, _and_ has a girlfriend. If that doesn't spell out frustration, I don't know what does," Sharpener said smugly.

"I'll tell you what spells frustration," Erasa said angrily. "S-H-A-R-P-E-N-E-R, that's what!"

"I think her and I will get along fine," Bulma whispered to Lime, who giggled. All they needed to do was wait now. Their plan was sure to work. It was fool proof. _Bulma_ had come up with it after all.

Gohan was oblivious to their scheming however. He was sure they had been planning something, but he had no clue as to what that could be.

His mind was elsewhere anyway. He had to be sure that Videl wasn't taking any risks. He didn't want her to run off and get herself killed trying to protect the city. Not if he could prevent it. His foot started tapping involuntarily as he impatiently searched through the entirety of Satan City for her life force.

_Why is this taking so long?_

_She couldn't have gotten mixed in with everyone else. She's much too powerful for that. Well, powerful compared to the rest of them._

_Come on, come on, come—_

"Hey kid," Piccolo said stepping out from the shadows. "You need to stop worrying."

"But she could be fighting or dying and I wouldn't even know it," Gohan said furrowing his brow.

"Trust me kid," his old mentor said. "She's fine."

"Do you have Dende watching out for her?"

"No," Piccolo said.

"Then you don't know that," Gohan dismissed, continuing his fruitless search.

"I'm trying to help, kid," Piccolo said.

"I know," Gohan sighed. "I'm just worried."

"Why do you even bother?" Piccolo asked. Humans always confused him. Their constant need to mate and reproduce was revolting.

"You don't understand, do you?" Gohan questioned. "I _love_ her. I would give my life to save her. And she's so fragile. I don't know how to keep her safe. One bullet, that's all it would take. If I was just a second too late, she could be killed."

"I know about the shot you took," Piccolo said. "It seems you are more fragile than you realize too. You're flesh and bones kid. Flesh and bones. You're not invincible."

"I don't need to be," Gohan said. "I just need to be there…Damn it. Where is she? Why can't I find her?"

"Earthlings and Saiyans need to eliminate this need to mate. Namekians are much more efficient," Piccolo noticed.

"Yeah, spit an egg out and forget about it," Gohan said dryly. "No parents needed."

"Exactly," Piccolo said with a smirk. "None of this need to protect your mate, no parental instincts."

"If I remember correctly," Gohan said with a laugh. "_You_ act like a father. And you're always saving me."

"Yeah," Piccolo grumbled. "But I wasn't raised a Namekian, now was I?"

"Were you even raised?"

"Eh, not really," Piccolo said. Gohan laughed at him, and for the first time since he got there, he wasn't desperately searching for Videl.

* * *

Lime was having much more fun than Gohan, as she watched Sharpener and the two kids, Trunks and Goten, have a big arm wrestling tournament. Sharpener had seen the two boys having a contest of their own, and mistakenly thought it would be easy to beat them. He had already been taken out by Trunks three times. If he was hoping Goten would be any easier, he was sorely mistaken.

All in all, he'd been too busy to notice the large green man in the corner talking to their friend. And Erasa was just too excited to be in Bulma's home to care that Piccolo was there.

But Lime noticed, and she was pretty sure she knew exactly what they were talking about.

Videl.

Lime was starting to grow impatient as well, but she'd done a much better job at distracting herself. Unlike Gohan—who desperately wanted to find Videl—she was waiting. Waiting for the right moment to reveal her and Bulma's big plan. She wasn't trying to fool herself into thinking that Gohan wouldn't know it was her, she was kind of betting on that. So he could thank her later. If he felt inclined to.

But time was already passing by rapidly. It had nearly been an entire hour. Why weren't things going according to schedule?

Lime chuckled when she noticed Bulma trying to get either Gohan or Vegeta to go and dance with her. She was still very afraid of Vegeta, but it wasn't an overwhelming fear like it used to be. Over the past few weeks, Bulma and Lime had started to get close. And with that closeness, comes knowledge on how to handle the proud Saiyan Prince.

It wasn't until Vegeta roughly refused Bulma that either Erasa or Sharpener noticed the shorter Saiyan.

And Erasa let everyone know she saw him by letting out a surprised scream.

"Ah!"

Lime laughed as everyone jumped to attention. Krillin and 18 dropped into a defensive crouch in front of their daughter. Bulma scrambled to hide behind Gohan, while he and Piccolo got into fighting stance. Trunks and Goten stopped fooling around and kindly jumped to protect Sharpener. Chi-Chi got into a feeble stance. It had been awhile since she'd actually _had_ to do this after all.

But Lime's continued laughter threw them off.

Just why what did she find so funny?

"Miss Lime," Goten said confused. "I don't get it. She screamed and you're laughing at her. That's really mean."

"Ah, but she—and Vegeta—and the school—ha!" Lime said in a jumbled mess.

"Could you repeat that," Trunks said. He didn't like not knowing stuff.

"Vegeta went to our school," Gohan said with a chuckle. "Erasa just recognized him."

"I'd forgotten about that," Bulma murmured.

"Could you just tell that pathetic female to keep her mouth closed? I don't want to go deaf," Vegeta growled.

"Oops," Erasa said sheepishly.

"Oops nothing," Sharpener said. "The last time we saw him he threatened to kill people just because he didn't want to babysit."

"You what?" Bulma asked.

"Don't sound so surprised woman," Vegeta said rolling his eyes. "What else would you have expected?

* * *

Videl was bored. They'd been in the limo for hours. The driver was relatively new, and had taken a wrong turn at some point. They were now trying to figure out how to get to the city hosting the event _before_ the event ended.

Videl didn't think the chances were very good. But her father was very optimistic about it.

"That's right," he was saying in his obnoxious voice. No. Maybe it was only sounding obnoxious because she knew the truth. She wasn't going to tell him she knew though. Saiyaman wanted the world to think it was her father. She wasn't so sure, but she'd have to trust him. Just like she wanted to trust that she'd love him no matter who he turned out to be.

But that little part of her mind that simply refused to die was thriving. If she didn't like Saiyaman after giving the real him a fair trial…that voice was saying that there was still Gohan. And try as she might, she couldn't squash that voice back into oblivion. Why was it that it always picked the most inopportune times to wake up?

_I'm not running to Gohan if Saiyaman turns out to be someone I don't want him to be. I _love_ him. Shouldn't that mean I'm going to love him no matter what? Shouldn't that mean his face is just that…a face? I don't want to end up being one of those shallow girls. What should I do?_

"I'm the champ," her father continued. "It's good to make a fashionably late entrance. They'll hold the party for me."

_I wouldn't._

"What's the matter sweet pea? Did that no-good-dirty-rotten-scum of a boyfriend have something better to do than spend the evening with my precious daughter?"

"Actually, yes," Videl said. "He did have an event."

"I knew it! He only wants you for your fame."

"And how did you reach that conclusion?" Videl asked angrily. "He _loves_ me, and I love him. Besides, I told him I had to go alone. I didn't want the press to try and unmask him."

"Just between you and me," Hercule said, leaning in towards her. "Do you know who this clown is? Has he unmasked himself to you?"

"As a matter of fact," Videl said. And then she paused.

Should she lie to make her father like Saiyaman better?

Or would the truth be better?

Lie…

Tell the truth…

The choices were echoing in her mind.

_Saiyaman stands for truth and justice_ her subconscious reminded her.

"No," Videl admitted with a blush.

"And how do you know he's not an old man preying on your youth and naivety?"

"Because he goes to my school…maybe," Videl said. "And he's going to unmask himself tonight."

"That's not some dirty sexual joke, is it?" Hercule asked narrowing his eyes.

"Uh, no," Videl said. Could her father really be so narrow-minded? Oh, yes he could.

"Good," Hercule said contentedly. "But you're going to have to tell me who he is."

"Not until he feels ready to tell you," Videl said crossing her arms and glaring angrily at her father.

_This is going to be a long night…_

* * *

It wasn't long before the party got back into full swing. Erasa and Sharpener merely tried to be on the opposite side of the room from Vegeta. This was easy enough, since Vegeta wouldn't dare to be seen on the dance floor, though it did irk him something terrible when his wife started dancing with the scar-faced man she used to date.

In a combined effort, Erasa, Sharpener and Lime were able to get Gohan out onto the dance floor. Sharpener was all for giving up, since he'd have two beautiful ladies to himself, but since the girls had been so insistent, he decided to lend a hand.

Besides, even he noticed that Gohan didn't seem to be very pleased with the party. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. Where, Sharpener couldn't care less about. All he knew was that he had to educate the mountain boy on how to let loose and have fun, and how to get girls. Sure, Gohan _said_ he had a girlfriend, but that didn't mean Sharpener believed him.

It was as they were dancing that a loud knocking at the door was heard by the Saiyans present.

"Woman," Vegeta shouted. "There is someone banging on that blasted door."

"Then open it," Bulma yelled at him.

"Not a chance," Vegeta sneered.

Lime caught Bulma's eye as the woman sighed. She mouthed the words 'This is it."

Bulma nodded, her eyes suddenly brightening.

"Okay everyone," she shouted, signalling for the music to come to a halt. "We have a special guest waiting outside, and I want _all_ of you to be on your best behaviour. No sudden outbursts from you Vegeta. No death threats, Vegeta. And please do not poke fun. This is special. It's the first time I've ever had him here."

She walked over to the door, resting her hand on the doorknob.

"May I present to you," she said with a forced smile.

_How was she supposed to make this sound good?_

"Mr. Hercule Satan," she announced as she opened the door. "And his daughter Videl."

And Gohan promptly fell over in shock.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/A: **I was really excited to write this one. I did put it off for two and a half weeks…but I really did enjoy it. It was just finding time to force myself to _start_ writing it that was the problem. We're getting really close now! I can almost see the end. I wish I knew how to write it…but I'll deal with that. For now, I hope you all just enjoy this chapter!

I give you chapter fifteen:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter Fifteen**_:

Standing in the corner of the dance floor, were the five teenagers. Gohan could hardly believe that _this_ was the event Videl needed to go to. It seemed more than a simple coincidence. This had to have been planned…

_Lime and Bulma!_

Suddenly everything clicked into place. This was their plan from before, the one he'd written off on, figuring they wouldn't dare to pull a fast one on him during a reunion.

He'd been wrong.

Dead wrong.

And now he was at war with himself. He wanted to tell Videl just to get it over with, but at the same time he wanted to spend a few more hours with her as Gohan, before she knew the truth. Before she started acting differently around him. Before she started avoiding him…

But she _could_ like that it was him, and this could have a more favourable outcome. And he was becoming more and more confident about that fact as time went on. He was almost sure she truly loved him. And if she could love him as his real self, couldn't she love him unconditionally when she knew the truth?

Sure she could. He just needed to find the right moment to tell her.

He was also in need of a plan. Walking up to her and asking her to talk with him in private was out. She wouldn't come with him. She'd think something was up. She wouldn't trust him. Of course, she'd trust him after the conversation…maybe.

Why was this love stuff so hard?

"Shouldn't we do something?" Erasa asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"What do you have in mind?" Videl said in a bored voice.

"We could ask the champ for a demonstration," Sharpener suggested. "I'm sure that Vegeta guy would take a shot at him. He'd lose of course, but he'd still try."

"That's not going to happen," Gohan sighed. "We need something better than that."

"Are you saying that the champ could be beaten by a guy that looks like an overgrown troll doll?"

"Why don't you say that a little louder," Gohan said darkly. "I don't think Vegeta heard you."

"Gohan," Lime gasped. "You don't want him to get himself killed do you?"

"At least we'd have some entertainment," Videl murmured, causing Gohan to chuckle.

Gohan turned his attention to the brave souls that volunteered to keep Hercule occupied. Bulma, Krillin and Yamcha looked about ready to toss him out. That was enough to earn a laugh in itself. But with the little he could hear of Hercule's conversation, he was near bursting. He was sure the others were giving him strange looks, but all he could do was shake his head. If they could hear, they'd be laughing too.

"So then, I gave him a bit of the old one-two. Yeah, I had him running scared," Hercule was saying, giving his account of the last World Martial Arts Tournament. "No one can handle all of this! Yeah!"

"Kill me now," Krillin joked to Yamcha.

"So," Hercule said to Bulma. "Have you ever seen a man as strong as me before?"

"No," Bulma said with a smirk. "It's hard to imagine."

"Yeah," Yamcha muttered. "Hard to imagine someone so weak."

"Is there a _Mr_ Bulma Briefs around here?"

"Oh yeah," Bulma said. "That's him over there against the wall. Do you see him? He's with our son."

"You mean that mean looking man?"

"That's him," Bulma said happily. "And that mean looking little boy is our Trunks. Do you want to go and meet them?"

"Uh, no thanks," Hercule said, disappointed that there was truth to the rumour after all. He'd been so sure that there was no way there could be a husband. There were never any pictures of him in the tabloids. There was no documentation of their wedding. It just didn't add up. Yet here he was. The frightening husband of Bulma Briefs, and her equally scary son.

"I didn't think so," Bulma murmured in triumph.

"Do you keep up with the baseball scores?" Hercule asked to change the subject.

"No," Bulma and Krillin said immediately.

"Aw, c'mon guys" Yamcha complained. "I play baseball. Can't you at least keep up to date on my wins?"

"Well, you're 0 for 1 against the Saibamen," Krillin joked.

"And you got creamed against the Android's captain Gero," Bulma added.

"Hey," Yamcha said catching on to their ploy. "I was able to take out the Ginyu Force while I was with King Kai without much difficulty."

"And you didn't even stand a chance against the Black Water Mist," Krillin said. "You got taken out right at the start."

"That's just rubbing salt in old wounds."

"It is the truth though," Bulma said with a laugh.

"Well, I'm not the one that got turned into a frog," Yamcha muttered.

"Hey!" Bulma shrieked. "That was never to be spoken of again."

"And I thought it was common courtesy to _not_ talk about all the times I got beat," Yamcha argued.

"You wanted to talk scores," Bulma said.

"What about the biggest loss of all," Krillin said with a devious smile. "You did after all lose to the Prince of all Saiyans too."

"Well, at least I only died once," Yamcha mumbled turning bright red.

"Yeah," Krillin stuttered. "But that's only because I'm always in the first string."

"I don't see why," Bulma commented. "You never even get a hit in."

"I don't think I've heard of any of the teams you guys are talking about," Hercule said completely lost in the conversation. "Do they play for a different league or something?"

"A completely different league," Bulma agreed.

"One you haven't heard of," Yamcha added quickly.

"Not very many people have," Krillin concluded.

"Oh, so they must not be very good," Hercule decided.

The three of them sighed.

_Not very good my ass_!

"We should totally play a game," Erasa suggested, once Gohan's laughter died down.

"Like what?" Videl asked dryly. "Charades?"

"Don't be silly Videl," Erasa giggled. "That's for kids. We're at a party, so we should play truth or dare!"

"How about we don't," Gohan said quickly. There were just too many truths he had to keep to himself. That game wouldn't be a good choice. He could scare them with details of his life.

"Yeah," Lime agreed. "That's still too childish."

"Agreed," Videl said.

"If you're looking for bold and mature," Sharpener said with a smirk, pulling out a deck of cards. "We could always play poker. Strip poker."

"In your dreams," Videl and Lime shouted.

"I agree," Gohan said. "That's not the best idea. Not with Mr Satan standing over there. He'd be able to kill you, should you look at Videl just a little too long…"

Sharpener gulped. "You're right. That'll have to be for an adult free party."

"Sure," Erasa said sarcastically. "'Cause that's what we meant."

"We could always go with the old classic," Lime suggested.

"And what would that be?" Videl sighed. "Pin the tail on the donkey?"

"No," Lime said, reaching over to the table for a glass bottle. "Spin the bottle."

"Oh! I like that one!" Erasa exclaimed.

"I like my odds," Sharpener agreed.

"I have a boyfriend," Videl said.

"And there's my girlfriend," Gohan added quietly.

"But it's not a real kiss," Erasa argued. "It's just a little peck between friends."

"Yeah," Sharpener said. "It's no big deal. Unless you can't get enough of _me_, and you beg for more."

"That'll never happen," Videl assured him.

"I can dream, can't I?"

"Just keep me out of them," Videl said, suppressing a shiver. Some things were just not meant to be thought about.

"C'mon, guys," Lime pleaded. "I've never gotten to play this game before…"

"Well," Videl said, suddenly unsure.

_She's making Videl feel sorry for her_, Gohan noticed.

"I suppose if the kisses are less than a second long," Videl started.

_And Videl is falling for it!_

"Then I guess we can play a few rounds," Videl concluded. "But only a couple."

"Thank you!" Lime said happily. "You're the best."

"Yeah, yeah," Videl said quietly. What had she gotten herself into? She could only hope these kisses really didn't mean anything, or she'd be having a pretty awkward conversation with Saiyaman after this is through. "Let's just get this over with."

Sharpener reached over and snatched the bottle from Lime's clutches.

"If we're only playing a few rounds, I'm going to get at least one kiss out of this," he said, spinning the bottle in the centre of their make-shift circle.

It spun…

…and spun…

…and landed on…

…Lime.

Lime gulped. This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to have to kiss anybody, let alone Sharpener.

But she couldn't back out now.

Gohan would use it as fuel so he could back out too.

And then Videl would follow suit.

No. She _had_ to do this.

Sharpener was disappointed that it hadn't landed on Videl, but Lime was nothing to scoff at. She was a catch in her own right.

He didn't hesitate, and went in for the kiss. Lime reluctantly leaned in as well. When they met, there was a chorus of Aww (Erasa), Eww (Videl) and Ugh (Gohan). The kiss itself lasted longer than Lime had hoped, but wasn't any longer than four seconds. The feeling itself was odd. It wasn't as disgusting as she'd figured it would be, but she hadn't really enjoyed it either. She really didn't know what to think.

"Alright," Sharpener said happily. "We'll let Videl go next."

"You're just hoping it lands on you," Gohan said, narrowing his eyes at his male friend.

"And you're not?"

"He has a girlfriend, Sharpener," Erasa reminded him kindly.

"He has a girlfriend?" Videl repeated in shock. Since when? Wasn't he supposed to like her? She got an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Then she shook it off. She had a boyfriend. She _loved_ her boyfriend. She shouldn't care about Gohan and his love life.

But she did.

"Apparently," Sharpener scoffed. "It's yet to be determined."

"Whatever, Sharpener," Lime said, rolling her eyes. "Just spin the bottle Videl."

Videl sighed, but did as she was told. She didn't understand why she even had to take a turn. The kiss would only be like half a second long.

She placed the bottle on the floor, and gave it a good spin.

It spun…

…and spun…

…and…

"Hey, what are they up to?" Lime asked, causing the four other teens to move their eyes from the bottle and seek out whatever had caught Lime's attention. Not knowing exactly what she'd commented on, each found something different.

Erasa noticed Trunks and Goten trying to sneak up behind Hercule, but she couldn't reason as to why they were doing that.

Sharpener's eyes were immediately drawn to Bulma and Hercule, who were in a heated debate about something.

Videl took this moment to first notice the green man. She'd heard about him. Saiyaman had said something… she'd have to ask him about it later.

Gohan was focussed on a scene taking place between young Marron and the Saiyan Prince. Marron was crying—most likely because Vegeta had glared at her—and Vegeta was at a loss as to how to make her be quiet. Gohan almost had to snicker at the whole thing. Kami help Vegeta if he ever has a daughter.

"Oh wow," Lime said in surprise, causing them all to look back at her.

"What now?" Sharpener asked.

"It landed on Gohan," Lime said suppressing a smirk. They didn't need to know that she'd _made_ it land on Gohan.

"But they both have someone special," Erasa said. "We shouldn't make them kiss."

"I had to kiss Sharpener," Lime said determined. "They have to kiss too."

"It's fine Erasa," Videl said sighing. She closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly. Gohan was going to have to do the rest.

And he did so almost eagerly.

The thought of kissing Videl always made him ecstatic. He forgets himself and all of his problems, and just thinks of her and them.

And when he kissed her, it was like a spark went off. Videl's body recognized it, and she took the obvious next step, she deepened it like always. As Gohan wasn't thinking, he leaned further into the kiss too, cupping her cheek in his hand, and leaning all his weight onto his other arm. It wasn't until Videl let out a whispered 'Saiyaman' that Gohan even remembered what he was doing.

"Sweet Kami," Erasa whispered.

"Oh my goodness," Lime gasped. This isn't exactly what she had in mind.

"Damn, I wish I were Gohan," Sharpener said.

_Gohan?_

_Kissing Videl…_

_Damn it all._

"I'm Gohan," he murmured, after her call, his heart falling.

"Gohan?" Videl asked, opening her eyes instantly. "Oh Kami. Oh no. This isn't happening."

She wasn't going to kiss at all. Especially since it was _Gohan_. And here she was kissing him like nobody's business, as if he were Saiyaman.

"Oh no," she said again. "What am I going to say to Saiyaman?"

"It's fine," Gohan said, his eyes wide. "It's totally fine."

"No it isn't," Sharpnener said. "Saiyaman could kill you. Do you really want to make out with his girlfriend at a semi-public party?"

"Yeah, Videl has a boyfriend," Erasa agreed. "She can't just go around kissing other guys whenever she feels like it. AND you have a girlfriend! Shame on you."

"That is still yet to be proved," Sharpener said, feeling the need to re-voice his opinion. "But still, that's low. You don't do that. _I_ wouldn't even do that."

"Gohan," Lime said in mock sympathy. "You and Saiyaman are very close. Don't you think you should let the two of them be together without causing trouble?"

"What are you talking about?" Gohan said. This was not his day. He didn't know what to say, or where to start. All he knew was that he should have told Videl weeks ago, and saved himself all of this trouble. But he _had_ to be a spineless coward and avoid the topic, even with all of Lime's pestering. "You know just as well as I do that it's perfectly fine."

"And how is that?" Erasa asked seriously.

"Saiyaman knows that I'm in love with her," he said shrugging his shoulders.

And he was met with a shocked silence.

He thought over what he'd just said.

"That didn't come out right!" he said loudly, his eyes opened as wide as they could.

"Oh, so you're just in _love_ with your best friend's girlfriend? And that makes it okay?" Erasa asked.

"If anything," Sharpener said, having to agree with Erasa. "I think that makes this whole situation worse."

"You can't be in love with me," Videl murmured in shock. "Saiyaman loves me. I love Saiyaman. There's no room for anything else…"

"Lime," Gohan said suddenly angry. "Fix this."

"How Gohan? You did this to yourself," she pointed out. Not that she didn't have a small part in the current situation…but she hadn't thought he'd react to the kiss like that! She figured he'd end up telling Videl who he really was, because that kiss set off a desire to be with her as himself. Not have the two of them making out in the middle of Capsule Corp. Lime was surprised no one had said anything about it. She knew that Chi-Chi luckily hadn't seen, but Bulma sure had, and Vegeta and that Piccolo guy.

"If you all knew what all I do, you wouldn't see a problem with this," he said angrily.

It took him all of two seconds to realize the enormity of the clue he'd just given. Why was it that awkward or hopeless situations always made him give stuff away?

"Its fine," Gohan repeated feebly before excusing himself from the situation. Sure, it could be seen as fleeing. But he could tell by the look on Videl's face that she wanted to talk to him. Alone. And now.

And just as he'd predicted, Videl came running out after him, leaving two very confused friends, and one just slightly baffled one.

"Gohan," she called to him. He slowed his pace, but didn't turn to face her. "You didn't mean what you said in there did you?"

She was met with silence.

"You don't love me. Do you?"

"Yes," he admitted quietly.

"But…how? I'm not even all that nice to you. Just sometimes," she pointed out.

"I just do," Gohan mumbled.

"And what am I supposed to tell Saiyaman?" Videl asked in a whisper. "That I made out with his friend? He'll hate me."

"No he won't," Gohan reassured her. "Like I said, he'll be fine with it."

"What makes you say that?" Videl asked desperately. "How do you know?"

"Because I know he loves you just as much as I do," Gohan said with half a smile. "He's not going to let a little kiss get in the way of that."

"But it wasn't a little kiss," Videl protested. "We've only kissed like that a handful of times. And now I went and did that with you!"

"It's going to be fine Videl," Gohan said. He took a deep breath; it's now or never. "It'll be fine because—"

"I don't know if I can face him, Gohan," Videl said. "He was going to tell me who he is tonight, and I can't face him. Not now. He's going to be so disappointed."

"No he won't," Gohan insisted. "Because I am—"

"I've never been in a situation like this before Gohan; I don't know what to say to him. How do I tell him that I temporarily forgot about his existence?" Videl asked nearly hysterical now. "I love him Gohan. He knows that right?"

"Would it make you feel any better if I tell him?" Gohan said, trying a different approach.

"Would you?" Videl asked, brimming with hope.

"I will, if you listen to what I'm trying to say," he said with a smile. "Okay?"

"Sure, whatever you say," Videl said excitedly.

"What I'm trying to say," Gohan said. "Is that _I_ am S—"

"Videl? Where are you Sweet Pea? Did one of those nasty boys do something to upset you?"

"Damn it," Gohan muttered. "I just can't catch a break."

"I'm sorry Gohan," Videl whispered. "I have to go to him now, or he'll just keep yelling like that. How about you tell me at school on Monday, okay? If it's still of any importance, anyway."

"It will be," Gohan assured her.

"There you are Videl," Hercule said in his booming voice, as Videl walked towards him.

"Yep," she said. "Here I am."

"Good. I'm glad I found you," Hercule said. "I think it's about time we headed home. It's a long ride back, and I have a publicity thing in the morning. I'm going to get Lime. You head out to the car alright?"

"Sure dad, no problem."

"That's my girl," Hercule said, before heading off in search of Lime.

"Gohan!" Videl called in a whispered yell.

"Yeah," Gohan answered in a defeated voice.

"Can you tell Saiyaman why I didn't meet him tonight?"

"Consider it already done," Gohan said.

"Thank you!" she called before disappearing in the night.

_I tried. I guess I didn't try hard enough. Alright, my next shot is Monday. I'll have to make it count._

The weekend passed quickly and Gohan still didn't have a plan. He ended up deciding he'd just have to be straight forward with her. There was nothing else he could do. She'd already proved that he needed to be bold and upfront. Beating around the bush would most likely end up in another failed attempt.

Why was she making this so hard?

Videl came rushing into the room two minutes before the first bell. That didn't leave time for idle chat, let alone a life altering admission. Yet he still had to try. But Videl beat him to it.

"Gohan," she whispered. "Did you tell him?"

It took a second for him to realize what she was talking about.

"Oh, yeah," he whispered back.

"What did he say?" she asked timidly. It was very quiet. He realized she was scared of his reaction to the kiss.

"He's fine with it. Just like I said he'd be," Gohan replied. "Though he is a little ticked that you didn't answer a single one of his calls this weekend."

Videl ducked her head down to hide her blush.

"Son! Do not speak while I am," the teacher called out. "This is your first and only warning."

"Yes sir," Gohan said.

Videl stifled a chuckle. She never got in trouble. They were afraid her father would cut the funding to the school if they so much as scolded her.

But that thought was overshadowed by something else.

_He's fine with it? He's fine with his girlfriend making out with another guy? What is this? Maybe he really is fine with it. Or maybe he's just saying that so I'll answer his calls. There is no way he can be fine with this. _I_ wouldn't be fine if he made out with Erasa. Why isn't he mad?_

"Why isn't he mad about the kiss? Did he say?" she whispered.

"Yeah," Gohan whispered back. "He said it was because I am hi—"

"Son!" the teacher shouted again.

"Damn it, Kami. Why do you hate me?" he asked loudly.

"Detention, here" the teacher yelled. "At lunch."

"I know," Gohan sighed. Another shot wasted. And a perfectly good future opportunity was wasted as well. Unless she got detention. But no one would dare to give Videl a detention.

It was while he was in detention, writing 'I will not talk in class while my teacher is speaking' out one hundred times, that he came up with his next opportunity. He took out a scrap piece of paper and furiously started writing the note.

Videl came back from lunch, and sent Gohan an apologetic smile. It was her fault he'd gotten in trouble after all.

But sitting on her desk was a note. A note with no explanation as to how it got there. A note that kind of scared her.

Videl,

Meet me out front after school.

We have something very important to discuss.

I'll see you at 3:30. Don't be late.

~ Saiyaman

_Uh-oh_,she thought.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/A: **Okay. I'm so sorry that I didn't update yesterday. I had a wrench thrown into my schedule and it entirely slipped my mind. I do have to say though that I have finally written the ending, and I'm entirely pleased with the last chapter, but not all that pleased with the lead up. I might have to do some editing before I post up those. I wanted to get one chapter in there dealing with purely Videl, since I've had one focussed on Gohan before. So that one comes in after this one, and then the big finale. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I personally found it entertaining at the least, and I hope you'll all like this one too. You have been waiting for it for awhile. Keep in mind though, I wanted Videl to be genuine. So, taking the advice from one of my reviewers, I thought really hard about how she'd react. I hope it worked out.

I give you chapter sixteen:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter sixteen**_:

Videl was nervous. No. That's an understatement. Videl was terrified. Or as scared as Videl could get in any case. Just what was Saiyaman upset about? It was the kiss. It had to be. But Gohan had said Saiyaman was fine with it.

Could Gohan have lied to her?

No. He said he loved her. And you don't lie to the ones you love.

But Saiyaman could have lied to Gohan, right? Protecting their friendship even in this betrayal. She just hoped he wasn't too angry. Not that she'd blame him if he was mad. She'd be furious if he'd been making out with Erasa. She just couldn't understand how Gohan could have convinced him that it wasn't all that bad. She didn't understand how Gohan got through the conversation unscathed. Erasa wouldn't have.

But then again, Erasa wasn't a Saiyan. Saiyaman had mentioned that Gohan was, and that Saiyans were nearly unstoppable. Could that have saved his life?

She really needed to keep her thoughts away from Gohan. It was bad enough that she kissed him so passionately, he didn't need to overshadow Saiyaman in her mind too.

She made her way through the rowdy students, excited to be free from school. But Videl wasn't excited at all. And then she saw him.

A group of students were surrounding him, asking him how he pulled off all of his 'cheap tricks' without blowing himself up. Saiyaman just laughed for the most part. But his laughter died down the instant his eyes found Videl.

Suddenly, he was serious. The students gasped when he disappeared, only to reappear twenty feet away, in front of Videl.

"Hello," he said, not even the hint of a smile playing at his lips.

"Hi," Videl squeaked, unable to look directly at him.

She wished now more than ever that Erasa was speaking to her. Erasa had been very upset that Videl had kissed Gohan. But it was when she chased after Gohan and refused to share the details that Erasa became so mad. Sharpener had been avoiding Gohan all day, but he still managed to ask her out a couple of times. Now that she wasn't exclusive or anything.

She'd punched him out for that one, but it didn't help her feel any better about everything.

"We need to talk," Saiyaman said.

"I know," Videl said nervously. "I uh, read the note."

"Good," Saiyaman nodded. "If I fly, we'll get there faster."

Before she could even react, Saiyaman had scooped her into his arms, and was in the air, much to the astonishment of the student body. It didn't look like a trick, but since Hercule had said it was, they knew it had just been perfectly executed. Things like that don't just happen.

* * *

It was only ten minutes later that Saiyaman had descended to a lush forest. They landed at the side of a lake within the forest. That was the only spot Videl could see that wasn't covered with a canopy of leaves and branches.

It was also very far away from civilization. She couldn't help but notice that no one would hear her scream. But Saiyaman wouldn't kill her over a kiss.

She knew that.

It didn't make her any less nervous though.

"You're quiet today," Saiyaman finally said, killing the silence.

"Uh-huh," Videl muttered. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

"You didn't answer my calls," Saiyaman noted.

"I was scared," Videl admitted.

"Why?"

"I kissed your best friend," Videl said looking at the forest floor, disappointed in herself. "You should hate me."

"I can't hate you," he said with a small smile. "Is that why you're so quiet? You're worried about that kiss?"

Videl nodded, still not meeting his eye.

"I didn't bring you here to discuss that kiss," he said, nervously scratching the back of his head. "I have something much more important to announce."

"You really don't care?" Videl asked incredulously, finally looking to his face. "You don't care that I was making out with your best friend in front of all of your family and friends?"

"I honestly don't care," he said with a shrug. "It doesn't really affect me that much."

"Why not?"

Now Videl was confused. And angry. She wasn't important enough to be bothered over?

"Your best friend and girlfriend go behind back, and all you can say is that it doesn't affect you?" she shouted at him.

"One, it wasn't behind my back in the slightest," he said rolling his eyes at her dramatics. "And two, it was spin the bottle, hardly meaningful."

"If you didn't bring me here to yell at me, why did you bring me here?"

He was silent for a minute, sitting himself down at the edge of the lake. She took a seat beside him, prompting him to continue.

"I first saw you the night I defeated Cell, did you know that?"

"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything," Saiyaman insisted. "I was celebrating my first real victory, and then you stepped up to sing. Nothing else mattered at that moment. I wanted nothing more than to go over to you and ask for your name, maybe a dance too if I could pick up the courage."

"You defeated Cell, but couldn't talk to a little girl?" Videl asked with a laugh.

"Laugh all you want, but girls are confusing. Lime was the first girl I ever met that was my age. But she didn't hold a candle to you," Saiyaman said, causing Videl to blush. "Before I could introduce myself, my mother called. I had to leave immediately. I had to tell her my dad was dead. I don't know how I forgot. But I forgot a lot of things after your singing."

"You're telling me that you've known me for seven years?"

"No," Saiyaman admitted. "I've just been trying to _find_ you for seven years."

Her eyes widened at his admission. That was a lot to take in.

"Then, I came to Satan City," he continued. "And I found you. I found my dark haired angel."

"Angel?" Videl asked, feeling her heart swell. He thought of her as an angel, even after everything she'd done.

He nodded and shifted closer to her. His hands were shaking.

"Videl," he said after a moment of hesitation. "I want you to know that I love you. No matter what happens, I want you to know that it's true."

Confused by his sudden change, she didn't even realize he was leaning in. The second his lips touched hers however, it was like spin-the-bottle all over again. Her body reacted when her mind was busy elsewhere.

She let her mind take a break, comforted by the feeling of his lips on hers, his arms around her, and that soft glow that he emitted without fail.

But his glow disappeared, soon after she'd closed her eyes, and his arms were suddenly covered in fabric, when she could have sworn he'd been wearing his uniform. The uniform that didn't include sleeves.

When he finally pulled away, she opened her eyes, ready to attack him with questions to clear up her confusion. But she didn't see Saiyaman.

Gohan was there in his place.

She opened her mouth to yell at him, or to question him, but nothing came out. Her eyes were wide.

He waited patiently, his eyes guarded. He was terrified, she could just tell. But she couldn't say anything to comfort him. She couldn't even think straight.

It was Gohan.

Saiyaman was Gohan.

Not his best friend?

It wasn't adding up right for her. They had talked about Gohan before, and he always seemed to be referring to him as a friend. But she'd been feeling guilty about kissing Gohan when it was Gohan all along?

All those times she'd kissed Saiyaman, she was kissing Gohan.

Saiyaman was her hero. Did that mean Gohan was now? Or had he been the real hero all along?

Her head was starting to hurt.

That stubborn little part of her was thrilled to see Gohan in Saiyaman's place. It meant that it was free to love Gohan while the rest of her loved Saiyaman. But did that mean she loved Gohan too? Or did she still only love Saiyaman?

With her head whirling, she moves away from him, slowly moving backwards.

She flinched when she saw the hurt flash in his eyes. He masked it quickly, but she saw it.

That one look made her feel guilty. But she knew she didn't have anything to feel guilty for. _She_ wasn't the one who created a secret identity to get close to her. She was the one laying everything on the table from the start. She risked everything by being his girlfriend, and he's risked nothing. Because no one knew who he was.

But Lime knew…

And Lime was supposed to be her friend. She trusted Lime with all of her worries and her excitement. Lime could have turned around and told Gohan everything just so he could get in her good books.

She trusted him too. She loved him.

And now all she felt was confusion. She didn't like that feeling.

Did he not trust her?

"How?" she asked in a whisper.

"Bulma," he said quietly. "She made me a watch that would alter my clothing, allowing me to save the city without complications."

"And you're hair?"

"I told you before," Gohan pointed out. "That was me in Super Saiyan form. It altered my appearance enough to keep me out of suspicion."

"Why?"

"You hated me," he admitted. "I still wanted you safe. I became him to protect you."

"I don't need protection," she said stubbornly with just a hint of anger.

"You were nearly killed a bunch of times," he argued.

"I wouldn't have needed your help if you hadn't meddled in the first place," she said.

"You see it your way, and I'll see it mine," he said. "The right way."

She huffed, and crossed her arms.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"To be fair, I've tried four times this week," he pointed out. "I really tried. But you just didn't want to listen."

"You could have tried harder!"

"Videl," he said trying to calm her. "Hear me out okay?"

"You have three minutes," she said.

"I wanted to tell you right off," he said. "But when I kissed you, I forgot I was Saiyaman. If I had remembered, I probably wouldn't have kissed you when I did."

"Great," Videl said. "First you say you love me, and now I'm just a mistake?"

"No!" Gohan said quickly. "It was a mistake to have kept the truth away from you. But I couldn't tell you. It was like I could finally be myself, and I was winning you over. I didn't want to risk it. I could have everything I ever dreamed of with just the push of a button."

"So I was a prize, and you didn't want to give me up," Videl surmised. "That's why you couldn't tell me?"

"Not so much a prize as a treasure," Gohan corrected himself.

"Fine, whatever," Videl said, waving it off. "You couldn't tell me because that watch made you feel powerful? Because everything you wanted just came to you?"

"Not powerful," he said. "It didn't make me feel powerful. It made me feel vulnerable. I could be myself. I was opening myself up for all to see. I've never felt so insecure in my life."

"So by putting on a mask, you were taking one off?" Videl asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Pretty much," he said.

The two eased back into an awkward silence.

"Say something Videl," he pleaded after ten minutes had elapsed.

"I don't know what to say," she admitted. "I need to think things through."

"I guess that makes sense," he said. But he didn't look too hopeful about the situation.

"It's a lot to sink in," she said

"Take as long as you need," he said nodding. "I'll wait."

"Can you take me home, Gohan?"

"W-what? You aren't going to think about it?"

"I will, I just—a jungle in the middle of nowhere isn't where I plan on thinking, okay?" she said noticing his panic. Any time he showed any signs of hopelessness, she felt more and more guilty. She needed to be away from him to think this through. She couldn't decide what course of action to go through if she was worried about his reaction. She needed to be true to herself. She had to live with the decision. And nothing else would matter.

"Right," Gohan said, awkwardly coming to her side. He was sure she didn't want to be close to him right now, but he didn't know how else to get her home. "Ready?"

She nodded, and he picked her up, trying not to fly too slowly. He wanted to hold her as long as possible, but she needed time. He would be making her uncomfortable.

As they neared the city limits, he turned into Saiyaman, much to Videl's dismay. He had to keep up appearances. Gohan couldn't be seen flying through the city. Especially if he was carrying Videl. The press would have a field day.

As he flew up to her balcony, he transformed back though. He wanted to be himself with just her around.

"I'll see you in school," Videl said, slightly dazed. Her thoughts weren't becoming any clearer.

"Right," Gohan said. "I really do love you."

She bit her lip. She wanted to say loved him too. It used to just roll right off her tongue. But she couldn't bring herself to say it. She just didn't know anymore.

"I know," she said instead, turning before she could see his reaction, and disappearing into her bedroom.

With nothing else to do, Gohan flew off for home, landing just as Chi-Chi headed out to gather the laundry.

"Gohan! Where have you been? It's almost dinner," she scolded. "You have to eat so you can get right to work on your studies. You haven't been doing your homework mister. That was your part of the bargain. You go to school so long as you keep up with your studying."

"Oh, just put a sock in it," Gohan shouted at her angrily, storming into the house and into his and Goten's bedroom.

"Big brother, why did you yell at mama?" Goten asked from his spot on the floor, surrounded by blocks. He'd been playing hero, just like his big brother.

"Because she's getting on my nerves," Gohan grumbled, not in the mood to be a good example.

"Do you want to play with me? I'm playing super hero! You can be Saiyaman, and I'll be Goten-guy," Goten suggested excitedly.

"I hate Saiyaman," Gohan growled. "He ruined everything."

"But _you're _Saiyaman, so does that mean that you messed everything all up?" Goten asked with big eyes.

"Yeah, I screwed myself over," he agreed.

"Gohan?"

"Yeah squirt?"

"What does that mean?"

Gohan groaned. This isn't something he wanted to explain to a seven year old.

"I messed up big time," he sighed.

"Why?"

"I didn't tell Videl everything at the start," Gohan said reluctantly.

"Why?"

"I didn't want to," Gohan said.

"Why?"

Gohan could see that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

Videl didn't go down for dinner that night. She also didn't go to school the next day. She'd been walking around on autopilot, trying to figure things out.

She loved Saiyaman.

But she didn't love Gohan.

It didn't make any sense.

How could she love one but not the other? They were one and the same. Maybe she was just mad at herself for not realizing it sooner. She prided herself on her detective skills, and she wasn't even able to figure this out.

What happened to her?

"Videl?"

She was so stupid.

"Videl, are you in there?"

A hand was waving in front of her face. She shook her head, bringing her eyes back into focus.

"What do you want?" Videl asked, coming face to face with Lime.

"I wanted to apologize for that game of spin the bottle," Lime said. "I'm sorry it got out of hand. If I had known you two would have _that_ sort of reaction, I wouldn't have gotten us to play."

"You didn't know that the bottle would land on Gohan," Videl said, dismissing her apology.

"But I did," Lime insisted. "When I distracted everyone, I pointed the bottle at Gohan, so you would kiss him, and then he'd want to tell you his big secret."

"That he's Saiyaman? Yeah, I know," Videl said. "Why do you think I didn't go to school?"

"He told you!" Lime shouted excitedly. "I knew he would if I bugged him enough…but wait. You didn't go to school because you learned he was Saiyaman?"

"Exactly. I don't know what to do, Lime. I thought I loved him, but now I'm not too sure. Here I am, sounding like a shallow witch. Kami, how do you put up with me Lime?" Videl asked, slumping her shoulders.

"I don't know," Lime said with a laugh. "I have to I guess."

But Videl didn't laugh at her joke. Lime's brows furrowed in concentration.

"Why couldn't he have just told me earlier? Things wouldn't be nearly as complicated," Videl complained. "I'd know whether I love him or not."

"He was scared," Lime said.

"Of me?"

"No, he was scared of this happening. He didn't want to lose you, but he ended up doing just that," Lime said. It finally made sense to her why Gohan was so absolutely miserable at school today. It didn't help that Erasa and Sharpener were still upset over the spin the bottle thing.

But _they'll_ get over it.

"It has to be hard on him," Lime said, more to herself than to Videl. "Admiring you for seven years, and then loving you as much as he does…"

"Only to have me ripped away?" Videl asked. "Well, thanks for your concern over my mental health. I don't know what to do!"

"I say to give him another chance. He's tried to do everything right, Videl, he just went about it the wrong way," Lime said.

"How could I give _Saiyaman_ another chance? I can't. Not now that I know he's Gohan. _If_ anything comes of this, I'll have to give Gohan a chance to prove to me that he really is all he claimed to be," Videl said. "But they were so different. How can I be sure which one is the real mask?"

"You're just going to have to trust your gut on this one, Videl. It's never steered you wrong," Lime commented. "But I'm staying out of it this time. I caused enough damage."

"If you knew," Videl said suddenly. "Why didn't _you_ tell me?"

"I swore to Gohan that I wouldn't tell," Lime said.

"But you knew that whole time. That's why you were so excited when I had to go out with Gohan for that bet!" Videl said in realization.

"Maybe," Lime admitted. "But you know how strong Gohan is. I wasn't about to break a promise to him."

"You could have given me a clue or two," Videl insisted.

"I didn't need to do that," Lime said with a laugh.

"Why not?" Videl asked angrily.

"Gohan was doing that just fine on his own," Lime said shaking her head. "Good luck with your decision. Just remember, everyone deserves a second chance."

Videl nodded absentmindedly. She was caught up with what Lime had just said.

Gohan had dropped hints?

How could she have missed them?


	17. Chapter 17

**A/A: **Okay. I wasn't pleased with this chapter at first. And then, when I went back to edit it…or totally revamp it…I couldn't find anything that I actually _wanted_ to change. It's growing on me. So, I hope you all like it as much as I'm starting to.

So, no more rambling from me, I give you chapter seventeen:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter seventeen**_:

Clues.

Videl was suspicious of Gohan from the start, but she hadn't picked up on them.

Why?

…

That was all Videl could come up with.

The more she thought about it, the more obvious these hints were becoming.

Videl growled to herself. She'd been so stupid. So blinded by love that she didn't even see what was right in front of her face.

She crawled out of her bed, and made her way down to the training room. With each barrage of attacks, a new memory flashed before her eyes.

He'd been so obvious the whole time.

"_I don't have spiky golden hair. Or all the muscle needed to pull off what he's done. Let alone the pulsating golden aura."_

"_I never said anything about any of that stuff."_

He hadn't been careful at all. She'd just overlooked the obvious. She'd been distracted by conflicting feelings and new experiences.

"_So was the '__delivery boy__' everyone keeps talking about. And he put his life on the line to save everyone else's. All of those fighters did. They did everything in their power to make the world safe for everyone. Their loved ones, their enemies and all of the people that they didn't even know. So don't go around making fun of them. One of them died that day. Did you know that?"_

That was her excuse anyway. She couldn't bring herself to believe she'd missed the clues entirely though. She'd heard them all. And now that all the pieces fell into place, she was able to remember every detail.

"_The Cell games? Your father died at the Cell games?"_

Saiyaman and Gohan said so many things that went hand in hand. So many things that she'd only questioned momentarily, greedy to hear more about her beloved, that she didn't hesitate to forget what could have been important clues.

"_So, your dad died at the Cell Games?" _she had asked Saiyaman. Something had struck a chord that she only understood now.

"_Yeah, he did."_

And it should have clicked right after, when she'd confronted Gohan about the issue the following day.

"_Gohan, do you have any brothers?" she asked hesitantly._

"_Yes," _he had said with a smile._ "Goten, you remember him from that first day?"_

She started putting more energy into each punch. Beating on things usually cleared her head. Much more than she'd care to mention. Fighting was a part of who she was. It was the one constant she could go to for support.

Her dad was useless as support. He cared about himself and her well being, that much was true. But he was terrible as a confidant. He'd try to rip Gohan's head off… not that he'd be able to. Every one of her conversations with her father ended with him bragging about defeating Cell. She should tell him that she knew. It was only fair. But at the same time, he'd lied to her for seven years. The world was bad enough, but to his own daughter?

She didn't think their relationship would ever be exactly what it was before again. Something changed between them after the Cell games, but they still loved each other more than anything. Then she learns his biggest secret. And it was a much harsher blow than learning that Gohan was her beloved Saiyaman.

But through it all, she still loved her father. His crazy antics always put a smile on her face, and some of his comments were down right hilarious. And if you could get him to forget about his public image, he finally became the father every girl could dream of.

Time would heal their distance, she was sure of that.

But could it fix the rift that had been created between her and her sanity? Between Gohan and herself.

"_I for one don't believe anything out _Hercule Satan's _mouth."_

She'd been so mad at him. If he'd only told her the truth from the very beginning, she wouldn't have started their friendship out of hatred. She'd only begun to like him because he was Saiyaman's friend.

"_He didn't."_

She would have trusted him. She might have grown to love him the way she did Saiyaman. None of this would be happening. Images and conversations wouldn't be popping up out of the blue.

"_I did."_

Instead she decided she disliked him immensely. All because of a lie her father told her. She'd like to claim it was _his_ fault that she was in such turmoil. But she couldn't. It was her own fault. She was the one that missed the obvious signs. She was the one that somehow fell in love with a mask. But at the same time, that love was real.

So was it still real now?

It should be…

She'd always gotten excited whenever Saiyaman would talk about Gohan with her. It had made her feel incredibly guilty at the time.

"_I have friends," _She'd said defensively. _"I like Erasa and Lime. And Gohan."_

"_Gohan? Really?"_

"_You sound so surprised."_

She almost laughed at the thought now. But she converted that laugh into a rather strong kick, ramming her foot into the side of the punching bag. The poor punching bag was in for a beating today. She'd be surprised if it lasted too much longer.

"_It was thought to only be legend, but all the Saiyans I know can reach that level."_

"_Even Gohan?"_

"_Ha, I guess I know him too huh?"_

She had to let a chuckle out at that one. His cryptic behaviour was almost cute now. She missed being able to let loose. She hadn't spent any real time with Saiyaman in over a week, and with the discovery…

She was going through a withdrawl she supposed.

It had to be natural.

"_But when I was born, I had really dark hair."_

"_How dark? Like just a dark brown, or like mine and Gohan's hair, really, really dark?"_

"_Like Gohan's," he said carefully._

He'd wanted to change the subject. He hadn't wanted to lie to her. She had asked how he knew Gohan, and he unwittingly gave her a clue anyway. She'd just been too fascinated by the knowledge to let it truly sink in.

Trying to distract herself, she threw all of her energy into a few good strong punches, and turned her thoughts towards her ever mysterious housemate. She had been acting so strange ever since Gohan started school, and had voiced quite bluntly that she didn't think Videl and Saiyaman should get too serious.

Not until he took off his mask…

Thinking back, Lime had unwittingly dropped a few hints of her own…and then there were times when she tried to force Gohan into admitting it. Those conversations made a lot more sense once you were in on the secret.

"_But, I can't help but wonder who he really is."_

That question hadn't been one Videl had spent much time thinking about. Obviously. If she had she would have known long before he told her. But she had wanted him to trust her enough to tell her.

"_What do you mean?"_

She figured that he would tell her if he was serious about her…

"_I just have this feeling that Saiyaman is just his disguise. I'm sure his personality is real; I'm just concerned that Videl is getting in too deep with him. She doesn't know anything about him."_

And he did. He was serious about her, and she hadn't reacted the way she'd thought she would.

"_I'm sure she knows enough. I'm sure she thought everything through well in advance before asking him to date her. She's not stupid."_

She hadn't been excited and ecstatic. She'd freaked out on him and asked to be escorted home.

"_But all she knows is that he was at the Cell Games." _

And it was her fault that he'd been upset all of yesterday.

"_She knows that he's strong. Maybe strong enough to 'rival' her father. And he obviously cares about her. They did make front page news and all. Plus, he saved her life, he's not about to go dump her or turn on her."_

He did save her life, on multiple occasions. She should have guessed that Gohan knew how deep Saiyaman's affections ran at the very least. Even if she hadn't pieced together the real secret.

"_That's not enough to base a relationship off of."_

But they had. They had spent a lot of time together, to grow closer, and closer, until she knew it was love. And now…she didn't know what love was exactly.

Frustrated, she flew at the punching bag with renewed furvour. She had to get rid of this. She needed to find the answers she so desperately required.

She wanted to be able to go and ask Lime for the answers.

But she had to find it within herself.

"_I need to call Gohan."_

Any time something bad happened between her and Saiyaman, Lime ran off to talk to Gohan. Not Saiyaman, though Saiyaman claimed to know Lime very well.

Gohan.

So who's side would Lime really be on if she _did_ go to her for more advice?

"_I have to go call Gohan. You two finish your chat."_

"_See you later then," _Erasa had said_. "So, I have to know. Do you know just who Saiyaman really is?"_

"_Not a clue."_

Videl was now exhausted from her exercises, and was headed up to the shower. The punching bag hadn't broken as she'd thought it would. But it was nearly there. Stretching her arms in the air, she noticed how sore they had gotten. A good long shower would relax her muscles, as well as her mind.

She dug through the cupboards until she found some aromatic soap meant to have a soothing effect. Lime had insisted on having some on hand, since she found them so calming. Videl hoped she was right.

The water cascased over her tired muscles, and she turned her face directly into the trail of water. The shower wasn't short. She stayed there until the water ran cold, shocking her system into alertness. She had been drifting, thinking over what Lime had told her.

_He was afraid._

He was afraid of her reaction. She shook her head. She needed to focus on herself. She shouldn't condemn herself to love him if it wasn't true. It wasn't fair to _him_ and definitely not fair for her.

She took her time, slowly towel drying her body, and dressing in a pair of thick pajamas. They brought her a sort of comfort. Their warmth reminded her of Saiyaman's embrace.

She shook her head, and got to work drying her hair with her blowdryer. It was a gift from Erasa that she hardly ever used. But with so little to do, she figured even the annoying sound from the dryer would be a useful distraction.

But even the noise wasn't enough to block out her thoughts.

"_I know Gohan really well."_

Saiyaman didn't hide his insight too well either. He'd declared more than once that he knew Gohan well. He knew him like the back of his hand. Now she knew that they shared that hand.

"_I get the feeling that he's not exactly normal, if you know what I mean."_

"_I know better than you'd think."_

She heard her father entertaining some guests downstairs, when she turned off the dryer. She sighed. Confinement to her room it is. She didn't want to see any of her father's guests. They were like a constant reminder that her father lied.

Why did she have to have two problems? Wasn't the one enough?

She couldn't help but think that Saiyaman would be able to help her get over her father's betrayal. He didn't seem to mind that Hercule was a fraud. He seemed to enjoy the solitude that he received as a result.

She sighed and put her wrist watch on her bathroom counter. She wasn't going to be taking any calls right now. Saiyaman would be there. He always was.

He was always saving her.

"_You're lucky today, girl. But mark my words. If you ever cross my path again, you better pray that the boy will be there to save you again."_

That was the first time he'd protected her. She hadn't realized at the time, but it was. And knowing what she knew now, she never would have stood a chance, had Gohan not been there to stop Vegeta. It wouldn't have stopped her from trying though.

She chucked darkly as she remembered how stubborn she used to be. Granted, she was still stubborn, just slightly less so. She'd been furious when she'd needed saving. And even angrier still when someone _suggested_ that it was needed.

"_I was just busy. Some guy thought he could blow up the city."_

"_You don't say."_

Now though, she wished Saiyaman could just come swooping in and make her feel better.

"_Yeah, and then that Saiya-dork had to show up and ruin my day. I should be happy that the guy is behind bars, but I'm angry. That stupid masked 'hero' is taking over my job! How am I supposed to give back to the community, when he's always getting there first and always being so quick about it?"_

"_Maybe he just wants to make sure you get looked after too, Videl."_

She crawled into her bed for the second time that day, ready to welcome sleep. If only it would come. Instead, she got more clues shown to her through her memory.

In all honesty, Videl had never thought she could be so blind.

But nothing like this had ever happened to her before.

* * *

Hercule was well aware that his daughter was sulking. Something happened. But she wouldn't tell him what it was. She could barely look at him.

If it was that _Saiyaman_, so help him, he'd injure that boy.

No one hurt his daughter.

Regardless of how strong he was.

Hercule had hoped that she would come down and visit with his guests, if only to get her mind off of her problem, but he'd heard her faint footsteps leading to her bedroom instead.

He sighed and turned back to his important guests.

"How would you like some tea?"

"That would be lovely," his publicist remarked. "We have much to discuss."

"We do," Hercule said nodding enthusiastically.

"And where is Miss Satan this evening?"

"She's out tonight," he lied. The press didn't need to get their noses into Videl's problem just yet. When she decided to talk about it, that would be another story, but for now, he wanted things kept quiet.

* * *

She couldn't sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, Gohan's face came into view.

More specifically, it was Gohan on the day he'd been on a date with Angela, dressed in his Saiyan battle armour…

"Why that no good rotten cheater!" she gasped, before realizing she'd forced Angela into asking him, and then Angela blackmailed him into a date. He hadn't wanted to go. She sighed. So much for that.

"_That's the secret you used to blackmail me into a date? And here I went to all this trouble to get you to want me to leave, and it was some underwear? I thought you knew my big secret…"_

If she couldn't stay angry at him when he cheated on her, this shouldn't be so difficult. If she cared enough for him to forgive him for that—even though she played a rather big role in it—she could get over this aversion to him.

Sounds good…in theory.

She rolled over so she was facing the window. Looking out into the night sky, she sighed. She actually wanted him here with her.

"_What are you talking about? You know just as well as I do that it's perfectly fine." _

He complimented her personality in ways she hadn't thought could be possible. She'd been too busy these past few days focussing on the complicated and difficult things he'd put her through, but there were far more happy memories with the both of them. The good outweighed the bad greatly.

"_If you all knew what all I do, you wouldn't see a problem with this."_

And for her, the problem was slowly clearing.

"_Can you tell Saiyaman why I didn't meet him tonight?"_

"_Consider it already done."_

She smiled up at the now full moon. Things were starting to look brighter for her. She knew what she needed to do now. Tomorrow she'd tell him what she'd decided. She wouldn't make a big deal over it. She wouldn't ever act so confused, or scared again in his presence.

She was content to sleep now, because she knew one thing for sure.

"_How do you know?"_

"_Because I know he loves you just as much as I do."_

He loved her, and nothing would change that fact.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/A: **This is the final chapter. I am very happy with where they end up in this one, and with the ending itself for once. I think this is the first chapter I was actually pleased with…hopefully that doesn't mean you all won't like it, since you seemed to like the ones I didn't. Haha. Oh well. I hope that didn't jinx me. And I want to thank everyone that read this story, whether they were with me from the beginning, or they started somewhere in the middle. You're reviews meant a lot to me, and you helped me in proving that my big chapter five writer's block was just an obstacle. I know now that I _can_ write a story and stick with it to the end. So thank you for letting me try. You're feedback really helped me.

So, this ends my last rambling session. It's kind of sad now that I think of it. But I really do appreciate all the reviews, and favourites and story alerts you've all given me, and I thank you yet again. That's all I'll say for now I think. So, here's the final chapter, chapter eighteen:

**Title: Hunt for the Dark Haired Angel**

**By: YukiraKing**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or its characters.**

**_**_**  
Chapter eighteen**_:

Chi-Chi was really starting to worry about Gohan. Well, a lot more than usual. He'd gone through the past two days in utter misery, and refused to talk to her about it. Goten was the only one that could get him to talk, and she figured that was only because Goten looked so much like Goku.

He must need a father's advice.

Unfortunately, there was no father to give it.

It was times like these that she was mad at Goku's choice. Sure, the world _could_ be a better place with fewer threats, but it was at the sake of her family. Goku took the easier option that was for sure.

Gohan was so upset that he didn't want to go to school that morning. She'd tried to get him out of bed, but she hadn't been able to. That was definitely the Saiyan in him. Not to say that she wasn't incredibly stubborn herself, but with the added strength, it was that much more difficult.

Why couldn't she just have normal children?

She shook her head. She didn't want normal children. Her boys were perfect the way they were. But Goten _could _focus a little bit more on his studying. He was way behind from when Gohan was his age.

She piled a tray with food—steaming rice, some poached fish and some glazed vegetables—and made her way to her sons' room. And there was Gohan, lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"Gohan," she called. "I brought up a snack. You skipped breakfast, and I know how hungry you Saiyans can get."

"Thanks," Gohan muttered, his gaze not wavering in the slightest.

Chi-Chi thought herself to be a reasonable mother. And she just was not going to put up with this behaviour any longer.

"Gohan," she said sternly. "What is wrong with you? You aren't studying; you aren't eating; you're not even training."

"I don't feel like it," Gohan said. He wasn't moping. Or at least he didn't think he was. He was just waiting. And it was better waiting at home, where he didn't get his hopes up only to see she didn't want to go to school.

He heard his mother sigh.

"Why don't you invite one of your school friends out here? At least then I'll know you aren't coming down with something," Chi-Chi suggested.

"Like who?"

School had been horrible those passed two days. Lime was trying to be supportive, but at the same time chose that _now_ was a good time to stop meddling. Why she thought that, he'd never understand. She could have stopped meddling at the start, and _not_ pressured him into telling her.

No.

He'd needed her to act as she did.

Sharpener and Erasa hadn't been all that supportive either. Actually, they were more or less disappointed in him. They didn't know he was Saiyaman. And maybe he should tell them, but he was kind of hoping Videl would do that for him. It would explain a lot, and then they wouldn't be so disapproving.

Other than them, his only friends were the Z-Warriors. They weren't exactly a group of supportive listeners. They were more of a hands-on crew.

"Why don't you invite that girl," Chi-Chi said with sudden stars in her eyes. "That Videl girl. You said she could be my daughter-in-law, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Gohan sighed.

"Well, I want to meet her," Chi-Chi said with a bright smile.

"She won't come," Gohan said, much to his mother's disappointment.

"Why not?"

"She's avoiding me," Gohan said simply.

"And why is that?"

He winces as his mother got that shrill tone to her voice. The tone that meant there was going to be trouble if the answer didn't suit her.

"I told her I love her," Gohan said. It wasn't an exact lie. But it wasn't the real reason. Having not told his mother about his stint as Saiyaman, that was about as close to the truth as he was going to get.

"Oh, Gohan," Chi-Chi said. "Why'd you have to go and do that?"

"Because it was true," he said defensively.

"Don't you think it was too much too soon?"

"I don't know anymore," he said throwing up his hands in surrender.

"What do you mean?"

"You say it's too much too soon, Lime says it's too little too late," Gohan explained. "Why is this so freaking complicated?"

"Watch your mouth young man," Chi-Chi warned.

"Sorry," Gohan said with sheepish smile. "I just don't understand."

"Does she like you?"

"Huh?"

"Does she like you?" Chi-Chi repeated.

"She used to," Gohan admitted.

"That's a good start," his mother said. "What were your exact words, and what was her exact answer?"

"Gack! Mom, I'm not going to talk about _that_ with you," Gohan said with wide eyes.

"Why not?"

"It's not something one discusses with their mother," he said in his defence.

"I was right," Chi-Chi said with a sigh.

"About what?" he asked.

"It's something for your father," she said with a frown.

"I wouldn't say that exactly," Gohan said. "It's more of a figure-it-out-for-yourself sort of thing. She told me to give her some time."

"So you're just waiting?"

"Yep," Gohan said with a shrug. "That's all I can do. That and hope anyway. She might still like me after she sorts through some stuff."

"That's it? You're going to sit back and wait? You aren't going to try to win her over?"

"No," Gohan said quickly. "I tried that once, and it ended in disaster. I want her to decide. That's all."

"Alright," Chi-Chi said with a smile. "You know, this is the first time you trusted me with any sort of personal problem. It's really exciting."

"For you maybe," Gohan said laughing. His hand found its way to the back of his neck, and they shared a laugh.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A bit," Gohan admitted. "Waiting isn't very fun."

"Go out and play with Goten then," Chi-Chi suggested.

"Isn't he studying?"

"I highly doubt it," Chi-Chi said with a laugh. "He just likes to fool me into believing he is."

"And you don't force him?" Gohan asked confused.

"Could I force your father into studying?" she asked as an answer.

"No," Gohan sighed. "It's not fair though."

"What's not?"

"I had to study while I was in the hospital even," Gohan said. "And he gets to goof around."

"Are you saying that a good education isn't worth it?"

"No," Gohan said quickly, noting the look in her eyes. "But I didn't get to have a lot of fun when I was little."

"No," Chi-Chi agreed. "You didn't. But now you're all grown up, and have girl troubles."

He got a little wary, seeing the tears forming in her eyes.

"My baby is growing up," she said through her tears. "Soon you'll be out of the house, with a wife and a family of your own."

"I don't know about that," Gohan said nervously. He'd only really had to deal with her tears when she first told her about Goku's death.

"You're going to leave me all alone," Chi-Chi cried.

"What about Goten?"

"He'll get married soon after you do," she lamented. "He's just like your father. He'll get married after joining that tournament he wants to enter."

"Mom, aren't you jumping the gun a little bit?" Gohan asked worriedly.

"You're right," she said, straightening herself up and drying her tears.

"I still have you for now," she said. "I'll just have to make the most of it."

"Even after I move out," Gohan reassured her. "I'll still come and visit you all the time."

"With the grandchildren?" Chi-Chi asked hopeful.

"Yeah," Gohan said nervously. "With whatever kids I have."

"You'll have lots," Chi-Chi said happily. "I know you will. You never disappoint your mother."

"Right," Gohan said slowly. "Could you send Goten in?"

"Oh, alright," she said. "You're done talking to your mother aren't you?"

Gohan very wisely didn't answer, as she went out to send Goten in.

"Hiya Gohan," Goten said with a great big smile. "Do you wanna play super-people now?"

"Do you have anyone else other than Saiyaman and Goten-guy?" Gohan asked hopeful.

"Yep," Goten said with a silly grin. "Mom made me Goten-guy with some old clothes. And guess what?"

"What?" Gohan asked with a smile.

"She made me a Gohan-guy too! She doesn't know that you're Saiyaman o' course, 'cause if she did she woulda made him instead. But Gohan-guy is really cool too!" Goten said happily, digging through his small toy chest until he came up with a raggedy doll that slightly resembled Gohan wearing a mask. "Here he is!"

"Okay," Gohan sighed. "Call me Gohan-guy."

"I also got Videl," Goten said happily. "Bulma bought her for me. Did ya know that they made toys of her? She's super nice. I always have her be the girl that needs saving. Most a the time Goten-guy saves her, since she's so pretty, but Gohan-guy can save her with him if you want."

Gohan had to chuckle at that.

"I'd like that," he said happily. A day with his family really could make things seem a whole lot simpler.

Goten ran to Gohan's dresser and pulled out a pair of Gohan's red pants. He drapped the pants around the toy chest, and placed the Videl toy on the top.

"That's a building," Goten announced happily. "And it's on fire. We gotta go save her before she gets melted."

"Okay," Gohan said smiling at his brother's inventiveness.

"HELP ME! HELP ME, GOTEN-GUY!" Goten shouted in a higher voice. "That's what she always says. She doesn't know about Gohan-guy yet though. So we'll have to introduce her."

"Right," Gohan said.

"HELP ME!" Goten shouted again. "I'm going to melt!"

Suddenly, Goten's whole demeanour changed.

"I'll save you Videl," he said in a low voice. "I'm Goten-guy, at your service."

"Oh, thank you Goten-guy," he said in his Videl voice. "But who is that?"

"That is the bestest big brother ever," Goten said happily. "That's Gohan-guy!"

"…"

"Gohan," Goten complained. "You have to say something!"

"Er, right," Gohan nodded. "I'm here to rescue you, lovely maiden. You won't be melting today!"

Goten giggled at Gohan's super hero voice. It was just so funny.

"But Goten-guy always saves me," Goten said confused.

"I'm his helper today," Gohan said, glad no one was there to witness this.

"Wow," Goten said. "Two big strong handsome men come to save me. I'm really lucky today."

"Who told you to that girls act like that Goten?" Gohan asked, confused by his little brother's behaviour.

"I play this game with Trunks all the time," Goten explained. "But sometimes, we don't use toys, and we pretend that his grandma is the dispressed lady."

"Distressed," Gohan corrected.

"Right," Goten said with a silly grin. "And that's what she always says when me and Trunks—"

"Trunks and I," Gohan reminded him.

"But you're not there Gohan," Goten said confused. "It's just me and Trunks."

"Never mind," Gohan said shaking his head.

"She says that when we save her. I think she thinks we're superheroes, don't you think?" Goten asked excitedly.

"Maybe she does," Gohan said, thinking about Mrs. Briefs. If he remembered correctly, she used to say such things about Vegeta before he married Bulma. And she did refer to Gohan like that a few times too.

She was a strange one.

"Oh no, Gohan," Goten said suddenly.

"What?"

"The building's about ta burn all up," Goten said pointing at the box. "We hafta save Videl before it's too late!"

"Okay," Gohan said amused by Goten's seriousness.

Goten brought Goten-guy up to the building, but surprisingly didn't just fly him up to the roof.

"There's too much fire, Gohan-guy," Goten said. "How are we gonna get up to her?"

"Why don't we fly, Goten," Gohan suggested.

"Shh," Goten hissed. "Nobody's supposed ta know my real name. Call me Goten-guy!"

"Er, right. Sorry Goten-guy," Gohan said shocked. Did Goten really think that was fooling anybody?

"It's okay, Gohan-guy," Goten said. "Just remember to not let it happen again okay?"

"I will," Gohan said. "But why don't you just fly?"

"I don't know how ta fly, silly," Goten said giggling. "I can't just go up there…but you can! You know how ta fly."

"Right," Gohan said. _Goten can't fly? I'll have to teach him at some point…_ "I'll go up and save the damsel in distress."

"Videl's a girl Gohan," Goten said giggling again.

"I know," Gohan said in confusion.

"You said she was a damsel," Goten said pouting.

"A damsel is a girl," Gohan sighed.

"Oh, okay then! You have to save her Gohan-guy. Her feets are already starting to melt. We can't let them melt. She needs her feet," Goten said.

"Okay, Gohan-guy is ready to save the day," Gohan said with a smile, swooping the toy in from above, and picking Videl up carefully from the burning building.

"Oh, Gohan-guy, you're my hero!" Goten said goofily. "Now you get a kiss!"

"What?"

"Videl always kisses Goten-guy when he saves her. Just like she always kisses Saiyaman in real life. But she only kisses Goten-guy on the cheek, 'cause the lips are icky," Goten explained. "But, you are Saiyaman, so you can pick."

"How about I don't get a kiss?" Gohan suggested.

"Why not?" Goten asked with a pout.

"Because I don't deserve one," Gohan sighed. "But Goten-guy does. It was his idea that saved the day."

Gohan started chasing Goten around the room with the Videl toy. He didn't want to let it kiss his Goten-guy toy. Gohan was going to make it kiss him on the mouth. And that could give him coodies. Trunks told him that coodies are really hard to get rid of. Only mommy's don't have coodies, 'cause daddy's know how to get rid of them.

"I don't want you to kiss me!" Goten shouted in his Goten-guy voice.

"But you saved me," Gohan shouted after him in a horrible girl voice. He was laughing quite hard.

"No I didn't," Goten said desperately. "Kiss Gohan-guy, he saved you! Not me."

"How about I kiss you both?"

That stopped both boys in their tracks.

"Gohan, you have a really good girly voice," Goten complimented.

"I didn't say anything," Gohan said confused.

"Honestly, Gohan," the voice continued. "For a near-genius, you aren't very bright."

"Videl?" Gohan asked, looking around the room, his eyes meeting hers in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't at school today," Videl said shrugging. "So I ducked out of class to come find you."

"Okay," Gohan said, hiding the toy of her behind his back.

"I see you even play superhero at home," she commented.

"Yep," Goten said, thinking he was being helpful. "But he doesn't like Saiyaman anymore."

"Oh, no?"

"Nope," Goten said with a silly grin. "He's being Gohan-guy today. And he saved Videl 'cause she was gonna melt if he didn't 'cause I can't fly."

"Oh," Videl said with a smirk. "Is that what the kiss was for?"

"Yep," Goten said happily. "But he didn't want it. I don't know why. But he was trying to make Goten-guy get it instead."

"You told me that Videl always kisses Goten-guy," Gohan pointed out.

"Yep," Goten said grinning. "Just 'cause she's so super pretty. But you were gonna do it on the lips like in real life!"

Videl chuckled, and walked up to Goten. He froze in place. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Is that how Videl thanks Goten-guy?"

"Yuck," Goten said, wiping the kiss off of his cheek. "Now I got coodies. How am I supposed to get rid of them?"

"You kiss your mom," Videl said. She'd just come up with it on the spot of course. "Mom's don't have coodies, right?"

Goten shook his head.

"So they can get rid of them easy," Videl surmised.

"Okay," Goten said happily, running out of the room. "Mom! You hafta kiss me!"

"And I," Videl said, walking up to Gohan. Making him realize how very alone they were. This was it. This was where she'd tell him that she didn't want to continue to be his girlfriend. "Have to kiss you," she finished, before doing just that.

As she pulled away, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Gohan looked down at her confused.

"What are you sorry for? I'm the one that should be apologizing," he pointed out.

"But I made you worry for nothing," she said before kissing him again.

Gohan's heart was soaring. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down closer to her. He in turn pulled her upwards, holding her waist securely. It wasn't long before their tongues were dancing with one another, both trying to pull the other closer.

"Gohan," she whispered.

He smiled. That was what he wanted to hear. Not Saiyaman, but Gohan.

"Yes, Videl?" he asked between kisses.

"I love you," she said. She didn't wait for him to say it back, before she was kissing him again.

"Eww," Goten said coming back to the doorway.

"Gohan," Chi-Chi gasped, causing the two teens to pull apart. "I thought I was sending you to school to get an education."

"I sent myself to school," Gohan reminded her.

"And you weren't over that Videl girl just an hour ago," Chi-Chi said. She was shocked to say the least. Gohan bounced back faster than she figured he would.

"I went to school to find _her_," Gohan admitted.

"Videl or this floozy?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Excuse me?" Videl asked in annoyance. Gohan's mother or not, no one calls her a floozy.

"Videl," Gohan said quickly. "This is my mom."

"I know," Videl said, glaring dangerously at her. "We met at the door."

"Mom," Gohan said. "Meet Videl, my dark haired angel."

Chi-Chi's eyes widened, before filling with stars. Gohan sighed. She was off in her dream land again.

"Gohan?"

"Yeah Goten?"

"Is she gonna be my sister?"

"I-I don't know," Gohan spluttered. "Why do you ask?"

"I wanna know if I need to have a new girl in dispress," Goten said with a shrug.

"Distress," Gohan corrected.

"Well, do I?"

"Yeah," Videl said, kissing Gohan's cheek. "You will. I think Videl wants to be a superhero with you guys from now on."

"Oh, okay," Goten said. "We can call her Videl-guy!"

"Er, how about Videl-girl?" Gohan suggested.

"Okay!" Goten said. "But what's her super power?"

"Coodies," Videl suggested, sneaking in another kiss on the unsuspecting boy's cheek.

"Eww," Goten complained, causing everyone to laugh. "Not again!"


End file.
